KHAIRPUR: A court has directed the SHO of A section police to investigate the assault of Shah Abdul Latif University students and to register an FIR if the allegations are proved to be true.
During Wednesday’s hearing of a petition filed against the university administration by human rights activist Mumtaz Solangi, Additional District and Sessions Judge III Muhammad Aslam Shaikh said that if any cognisable offence were proven, FIRs should be registered against SALU vice chancellor Nilofer Sheikh, student adviser Ishrat Meerani Hassan Khaskheli, DPO Khairpur Pir Muhammad Shah and 200 policemen.
The court decision surprised human rights activists as the police officers of the A section police are allegedly involved in the beatings. The affected students, mostly those who live on campus, have formed an organisation called the Students Action Committee and have filed a petition separately in the anti-terrorism court, against the incident. On May 28, over 25 students were arrested and scores were tear gassed and assaulted by the police after they protested against the university administration, demanding water coolers and generators for the boys hostel. Students accuse the police of stealing cash, mobile phones and other personal possessions from them during the assault. Even after the protest ended, there were reports that police raided the boys hostel at night, ransacked their rooms and made random arrests.
Ishrat Mirani, a student advisor, told The Express Tribune that all he could say was that it would take time to fix the problem and these kind of things did not go away in a week. He did not want to comment any further, as did the other administration members who were contacted, as the matter was sub judice.
The students continue to protest. “We staged a hunger strike for a week from 11 am to 1 pm,” said Hussain Maher, a student and member of the action committee. He said that they wanted the students who missed the exams to be able to sit them. If they were not allowed to they would end up wasting an entire year.
When asked to comment on the grant from the chief minister, he said that they appreciated it but it had yet to materialise. There were 50 protesters on Wednesday and they were supported by the president of the Khairpur Bar Association Shafqat Maesar and some journalists.
Published in the Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2010.
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