Six students from University of the Punjab suspended

THE Punjab University has initiated an inquiry into the incident in which two rival student groups clashed with each other in front of the HaileyCollege of Commerce, resulting in injuries to some students.

According to a press release on Wednesday, the PU spokesman said the PU Students Affairs officials immediately provided first aid to the injured students on the spot and shifted them to the Jinnah Hospital for further medical treatment. He said Hailey College of Commerce Principal Prof Dr Liaquat Ali chaired an emergent meeting of the senior faculty on Wednesday and unanimously decided to suspend Rehan Khan, Mamoonur Rehman, Umar Farooq, Hafiz Wajid Ali, Zubair Sabir, students of BCom (Hons), and Hafiz Farhat Abbas, a student of MCom, with immediate effect for being involved in the clash.

The suspended students had also been directed to appear before the college disciplinary committee on February 2. The meeting also decided to call the suspended students’ parents and seek written undertakings from them to the effect that if they would be involved in any such illegal activities in future, they would be expelled from the college without any intimation to their parents. He said as far as students belonging to other departments were concerned, the Hailey College administration would make recommendations to the University Disciplinary Committee for appropriate legal action against them.

The spokesman further said that on the basis of a medico-legal report, an FIR had already been registered with the New Muslim Town Police Station. Terming the students’ clash hooliganism, the spokesman said that a handful of students were bent upon disturbing the peaceful environment of the university by indulging in illegal and negative activities. He said that such an attitude towards the oldest and largest seat of learning on the part of certain activists was regrettable.

Referring to the manhandling of a student from Gilgit in Hostel No 16, the spokesman said the administration was still awaiting a formal written complaint from the aggrieved party on the basis of which the University Disciplinary Committee, comprising senior most teachers, would be asked to confirm the culprits involved in the incident for their expulsion from the university without any further delay.

The PU spokesman urged the students to devote their precious time and energies to leaning knowledge instead of wasting them in negative activities, jeopardising their future.