Schools, colleges in Punjab shut as protests spread out

RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government on Thursday evening announced the closure of all educational institutions, both in public and private sectors, across the province on Friday.

Besides, the government also imposed Section 144 in the province for three days under which assembly of four or more persons will be banned.

These decisions were taken after the students’ protests in Lahore over the alleged rape of a student at Punjab Group of Colleges spread to Rawalpindi on Thursday. Angry students of the institutes under Punjab Group of Colleges held violent protests in Rawalpindi and damaged buildings of the colleges.

The district administration of Rawalpindi held a meeting with parents and urged them not to allow their children to join the protest. They were told that students taking part in protests would face legal action that would put their future at stake.

After the protest in Rawalpindi, police launched a crackdown and rounded up about 200 students and shifted them to different police stations.

It may be recalled that the students of one of the Punjab Group of Colleges in Lahore alleged that a female student was sexually assaulted by a security guard of the college after which she was hospitalized. They also alleged that the CCTV footage of the college were deleted to save the culprit.

However, the police have denied the allegation and asked the students to bring evidence or identify the victim.

On Wednesday, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz held a presser and accused the PTI of creating misunderstanding among college students about a fabricated rape case and inciting them to violence. She said that the PTI provoked the students on the basis of a fabricated story of a rape case in a college.

The chief minister said there was a report lodged with the police about a rape incident with a female student at college. But on that day the female student was not present in the village. Those alleging the rape claimed that CCTV footage of the day were deleted.

The chief minister said a concocted story was hatched by the political party in order to create law and order situation. There was neither any evidence, a witness or a complainant because there was no such incident, she added.