30 students injured during campus protests in Pakistan

Last week saw a series of student protests over the alleged on-campus rape incident in Lahore.

Lahore: At least 30 students were injured during an on-campus clash with security guards over an alleged suicide of a girl student, harassment and other issues in the Punjab University here, police said on Wednesday.

Ten security guards and a police officer too were injured in the clashes that took place on Tuesday when the university students under the banner of the Punjab University Student Federation (PUSF) raised demands such as the alleged suicide by the female student, harassment, profiling of students especially Baloch by the intelligence agencies and fee hike.

Punjab University spokesperson Khurram Shahzad told PTI on Wednesday that the protesting students made provocative speeches and hurled stones at the varsity guards when they tried to stop them leading to injuries to 10 guards, a police officer and some students in the clashes.

He said an FIR has been registered against over 50 students for attacking the varsity guards.

“Police have arrested some of them during a late night raid,” he said and also maintained that the university administration might expell those students who incited their fellows to violence.

However, PUSF leader Arif Kakar said that they reacted when the security guards attacked the students to disperse them. He said at least 30 students had been injured by the guards' torture and they were shifted to a local hospital.

“We had gathered to demand justice for the girl who was found dead in the hostel last week and the recent semester fee hike and other demands,” he said and demanded action against the guards for torturing the students.

Last week, Punjab saw a series of student protests over the alleged on-campus rape incident in Lahore.

Dozens of students were injured in the clash with police and a college security guard was killed.

Protests had erupted following social media reports that a female student at Punjab College for Women Lahore had allegedly been raped by a security guard in the institution's basement.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has blamed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for spreading fake news on social media claiming no such incident had taken place.

A police inquiry also supported the CM's claim.

The Punjab government had closed all educational institutions for three days last week to handle the student protests even as over 600 students were arrested on account of violent protests.