Varsity suspends 7 employees for involvement in Mashal's lynching

Those suspended from services are nominated in FIR and in police custody

PESHAWAR: The Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan suspended seven of its staff members on Tuesday including the directorate of academics superintendent for their involvement in a conspiracy against Mashal Khan, a student who was lynched last week over blasphemy accusations.

The AWKU registrar notified that in connection with an FIR lodged at the SMT Mardan police station, the university had suspended seven employees as per a provision contained in chapter ‘Service Statues’, section 24 of the Model Statues-2016.



The suspended employees include directorate of academics superintendent Afsar Khan, storekeeper Sajjad Ali, office assistants Muhammad Ajmal, Anas Ali Sangar and Ali Khan, senior clerk Hanif Ahmad and attendant Nawab Ali. The suspended staff members, nominated in the FIR registered in Mashal’s murder case, are in police custody, sources told The Express Tribune.

Mashal, a 23-year-old student of journalism and mass communication at the AWKU, was shot and beaten to death by a mob of fellow students at the university's campus on April 13. The Supreme Court has already taken notice of the incident and a judicial inquiry is under way.