Speaking out: Demonstrators protest alleged harassment of female student

Demand transfer of college principal, deployment of women police.

ABBOTABAD: Activists of Islami Jamiat Talaba and Mustafavi Student Movement protested on Monday against the alleged sexual harassment of a female student by a male staffer at Govt Girls Postgraduate College.

The incident reportedly occurred last week when the second-year student was waiting for a bus inside the college premises. Soon after, students of Govt Postgraduate College for Boys boycotted their classes and took out a procession in protest. They marched on Link Road and Shahra-e-Hazara, chanting slogans against the accused and college administration. Traffic was also suspended as a result.

On reaching Fawara Chowk, demonstrators blocked the road and delivered speeches. Student leaders Imran Sharif, Ahsan Javed, Adnan Chaudhry and Ali Malik condemned the incident, and accused the college principal of ‘slacking’ and trying to sweep the matter under the carpet.



Protesters demanded a judicial probe of the incident and the expulsion of all male staffers from girl colleges. The list of demands included the transfer of the college principal and deploying women police inside colleges for girls.

Cantonment Police SHO Shamraiz Khan said the matter remains under investigation. On the other hand, Adviser to Chief Minister on Higher Education Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani has ordered an inquiry into reports of sexual harassment of female students, according to college sources.

According to media reports, the administration denied the charges against the clerk, who is also a relative of a former provincial minister. Interestingly, the girl also denied reports of being sexually harassed when asked by SHO Shamraiz Khan and Assistant Commissioner of Abbottabad Osama Wariach during a visit to the institute earlier.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2013.