Punjab University clash: Students come together against ‘gangsters’

Lahore: The situation at University of the Punjab remained tense on Monday, 4 days after two conflicting student groups clashed at the campus, leaving 3 pupils hospitalized.

Both groups took out protest rallies in the varsity under tight police security, demanding security as well as peaceful environment.

The police will register cases against both groups on the complaint of the management of university.

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A large number of aspirants belonging to the Pakhtoon Education Development Movement (PEDM), Sindh Council, Baloch Council and a number of students without any affiliations protested against the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT).

The protesters raised slogans against Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba and accused them of hooliganism on the campus. They also blamed the management to cower against the pressure of the IJT.

While talking to the media sources, Jaffar Khan, a student affiliated with PEDM said that aspirants from Balochistan had been constricted to Hostel Number 4, as the Hostel Number had been taken over by the IJT.

He furthermore said that, “Even police told us that we cannot go to our rooms after we showed them that we are renters of those rooms. The IJT has occupied the Hostel Number 1 unlawfully and rooms are occupied by IJT members who are not even the aspirants of university.

On the other hand, we are forced to live in only a single hotel, where 10 aspirants are forced to live in a single room. The management as well as police seems to be powerless against the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba.”

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When contacted, Iqbal Town SP Adil Memon said that the police had arranged over 125 officials in the varsity to maintain peace.

He said that the police was also registering a case against both the student groups on the complaint of university management. On the complaints of aspirants of PEDM that they were not being permitted in their hostel rooms, he said, adding that the police had bounded both groups in separate hostels to maintain peace.

The representative of University of the Punjab said that the management had taken measures to maintain a peaceful environment at the university.

He added that the situation was under control and the university management was taking measures for the protection of students.

At the same time, the IJT also protested outside the Vice Chancellor House demanding that former Vice-Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran vacate the official residence.

They blamed the former Vice Chancellor of starting violence in the university.

On Friday, students and protesters belonging to the PEDM and IJT clashed outside the hostels, which left around dozen injured and also most 3 aspirants hospitalized. The police was called in to maintain peace, when the aspirants showered stones and fought with sticks.

The police used tear gas to control the fighting students. Afterwards, the police set up a contingent outside the hostels to avoid further clash between the groups of students.