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RAWALPINDI: The agitation over the alleged rape of a female student in Lahore’s Punjab College sparked all over Punjab including Rawalpindi where student protestors blocked several points in the twin cities on Thursday.
The situation escalated leading to the arrest of at least 150 violent protesters and police restored tear gas to disperse students from different intersections including Morgah Mor in Rawalpindi. Students restored to violence ransacking campuses of the private college in Rawalpindi.
Taking on X, Rawalpindi police, said, police personnel are deployed at various locations across the city and are fully prepared to deal with any law and order situation.
“The process of identification of students through video footage and photographs has started and more than 150 people involved in vandalism have been detained. Legal action will be taken against those involved in illegal activities under the guise of protests,” Rawalpindi police spokesperson said.
راولپنڈی میں طلباء کی جانب سے احتجاج کا معاملہ، ویڈیو فوٹیجز اور تصاویر کے ذریعے طلباء کی شناخت کا عمل شروع، توڑ پھوڑ میں ملوث 150 سے زائد افراد کو حراست میں لے لیا گیا ہے، غیر قانونی سرگرمی میں ملوث افراد کے خلاف قانونی کارروائی کی جا رہی ہے،
— Rawalpindi Police (@RwpPolice) October 17, 2024
Rawalpindi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operation Hafiz Kamran Asghar said the situation was now completely under control and all the closed roads have also been opened.
Scores of students from the public and private colleges blocked the Islamabad Expressway road from Khanna Pull to join the protest and vandalized the Quaid Campus located near the Fizaia colony.
The protest also gathered near the 6th Road campus and campus on Peshawar Road, blocking both thoroughfares in the city which disrupted traffic on both sides.
Punjab College Students Protest in Rawalpindi…#Pakistan #Rawalpindi #Lahore #PakistanUnderFascism pic.twitter.com/HNM08IiZeS
— Abdul R@him (@AbdulRahim9890) October 17, 2024
During the presses on Wednesday, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz declared that the alleged rape was “fabricated news”, blaming the PTI for spreading the “fake reports” on social media.
Punjab Group of Colleges (PGC) group Director Agha Tahir has termed the incident “baseless”. Upon the complaint of the alleged victim’s family and college administration, FIA has constituted a seven-member committee to probe the misinformation regarding the rape case.
On Wednesday, the situation remained violent across several cities of Punjab as the protesters clashed with law enforcement agencies and damaged the Punjab Group of Colleges’ (PGCs) properties. The violent clashes also resulted in the death of the security guard, Azhar Hussain, and injured several students in the Gujrat district.
Students of different public and private colleges took out a protest rally outside the Rehman Shaheed Road campus in Gujrat and barged into the campus. They ransacked the building and burnt the furniture, computers, and records of the college’s campuses. DC Gujrat on Wednesday announced a three-day closure of all public and private colleges in the district.
Similarly, the situation remained intense outside PGCs campuses in Faisalabad, Jhelum, Samundri, Jhang, Shorkot, and Sargodha in connection with the alleged rape incident in Lahore and the torture of protesting students by police.
The protesters staged sit-ins in front of colleges and blocked roads for a couple of hours demanding the release of students arrested in the Lahore protest and justice for a female student allegedly raped. Police used tear gas in different cities to disperse the protesting students.
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