Punjab Study

Violence on colleges and varsities campuses is not a new phenomenon here. But it assumes its ugliest form when directed against a teacher or head of an institution, resulting in a growing sense of insecurity among those who strive for betterment of society through imparting quality education to youth.
In such an ugly incident, a batch of BS (Honours) programme students of Government Islamia College, Civil Lines, smashed windowpanes and windscreens of the college principal`s car on campus, allegedly after they failed to convince him to delay the first semester examination being conducted by respective varsities that affiliated 26 government colleges late last year.

The students also smashed windowpanes of principal`s office and broke flowerpots during their violent protest on Friday.

The Punjab University is expected to hold the first semester examination from February 16. The Islamia College had admitted 335 students in 12 disciplines.

As the students having affiliations with Islami Jamiat Tulaba (IJT) were still in denial mode about the launch of BS (Honours) programme, it is learnt that around 100 students did not attend any class and their admissions for the PU semester examination were most likely to be blocked. A student must have 75 per cent attendance to become eligible to appear for the varsity semester examination.

The students were also protesting against Rs2,000 examination fee.

Principal Dr Asif Mahmood Qureshi commenting on the ugly incident said a group of students had come to him complaining about some issue pertaining to repair of a college bus. He said that he told them the bus had been repaired and the remaining minor repairs would be done by Monday.

Later, when Dr Qureshi applied for the registration of an FIR against the `rioters`, the Islampura police station officials reportedly advised him to negotiate with students. The police did not register a case till the filing of this report.

When contacted, Islamia College IJT Nazim Haseeb-ur-Rehman said the principal was victimising students and teachers belonging to IJT and Jamaat-i-Islami.

He said two different batches of students had met the principal for the resolution of their problems with regard to the BS (Honours) programme first semester examination and plying of a bus on a certain route.

He alleged the principal had struck off the names of those students who were attending their classes regularly. Some of these students had not even missed a single class, he claimed. He said the principal did not even bother to consult concerned teachers on the issue.

He said the other group of students that met the principal wanted restoration of bus service on a particular route. The service had been suspended for about a month causing great inconvenience to these students, he added.

Though Haseeb-ur-Rehman admitted the students staged a protest demo on Friday, he denied the protesters damaged the principal`s car. He said there were no reports of such an incident till Friday prayers.

“We checked and found that somebody had jammed the car locks by pouring some strong adhesive into them and the principal himself ordered smashing of a windowpane to open the car,” he claimed.

Alleging the principal was victimising IJT students, he claimed six teachers had also been nominated in the complaint sent to police by college administration.Dawn