Information leaked?: Police find no illegal residents at PU hostels

Personnel went door to door to check identities of occupants.

LAHORE: Law enforcement agencies launched a search operation at the Punjab University hostels late Saturday night but had to return empty-handed as no illegal resident could be found.

Police conducted a search and sweep operation and went door to door for checking the identity documents of the hostel residents.

Sources at the university told The Express Tribune the information about the crackdown was given to the residents prior to the raid.

The operation was supervised by the Iqbal Town SP, DSP Muslim Town and DSP Samanabad. A total of 4 SHOs, 15 upper subordinates and 100 constables took part in the raid.

The police used biometric machines installed at the university hostels as well as android phones along with fingerprint scanners to verify the credentials of the residents.

Accompanied by university security staff, the police checked a total of 450 rooms and questioned 10 students about their identity while taking two in custody. All of the students were released after questioning.

Sources in the university told The Express Tribune the reason why no illegal occupant was identified or taken into custody was the hostel residents had been informed about the operation beforehand and all illegal occupants left the premises.

When contacted, Punjab University spokesperson said the search operation was a routine affair and was part of the administration’s drive to purge the hostels of any illegal occupants. “The university will take action against all illegal occupants without any discrimination,” he added.

In a television interview earlier, Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Dr Zafar Mueen Nasir had said the university would cleanse its hostels. “As many as 68 rooms were illegally occupied at the varsity, and now after installing biometric system, only 12 rooms were left,” he had admitted.

The university students, especially the Pakhtun, have for long been demanding cleansing the hostels of illegal residents in the wake of recent clashes at the campus. The Pakhtun, Baloch, Sindhi and other students groups have on several occasions claimed that many hostel rooms had been occupied illegally, which was the root cause of violence on campus.

According to a letter issued by the PU Registrar to all deans, chairmen, principals, directors, wardens and heads of non-teaching administrative departments, the university has chalked out an 11-point administrative order to restrict student organisations.

Hall Council chairman, wardens and superintendents have been held responsible to end illegal occupation of university hostels. A list of legal and illegal occupants must be prepared and submitted to the registrar’s office through the Hall Council chairman on an immediate basis, the notification stated.

Biometric identification system and CCTV cameras will also be installed in all hostels and no guests of male students will be allowed to enter the area.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2017.