Islamabad, Oct 18: 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.
Parents are requested to keep their children away from illegal activities. The future of children can be ruined in case of legal action,ā 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 owned by Dunya media group in Gujrat.