Over 250 students arrested as protesters ransack campuses

Lahore: At least 250 students were arrested on Thursday in Rawalpindi for violence during protests against an alleged on-campus rape in a Lahore college as the agitation spread to other cities of Punjab province in Pakistan.

The protests erupted on Monday in at least four boys’ and girls’ campuses of the privately-owned Punjab Group of Colleges following social media reports that a female student at the Gulberg girls’ campus in Lahore had allegedly been raped by a security guard in the institution’s basement.

Police claimed they have the suspect in custody, but he has denied the allegation.

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

On Wednesday, a large number of students held demonstrations in Jehlum, Faisalabad, and Gujrat, demanding justice for the alleged rape victim. On Thursday, protests spread to Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujrat, Attock, Sargodha, and Vehari districts of Punjab.

The student protesters ransacked a college building in Rawalpindi, forcing police to fire tear gas to disperse them.

Later, 250 students were taken into custody, the police said. The police said legal actions were being taken against those involved in disrupting peace. The guilty would be punished, they added.

“Police personnel have been deployed at various locations across the city,” Rawalpindi Police said on X, adding that it was fully prepared to deal with any law and order situation.

“Parents are requested to keep their children away from illegal activities. The future of children can be ruined in case of legal action,” it added.

“Students clashed with security guards of the Punjab College Gujrat and the police, causing critical injury to three students and the death of one security guard yesterday (Wednesday),” a senior police official told PTI on Thursday.

He said Azhar Hussain, the security guard, was killed during the violent attack by students. “A murder case has been registered against about 200 students,” he said.

The police have also registered cases against over 400 students for attacking and damaging the chain of Punjab group of colleges.