Several protesters, guards injured in PU clash

Rally organised against fee hike, inadequate hostel facilities

PUNJAB/ LAHORE:

Several students and security guards of the Punjab University (PU) were injured in a clash on Tuesday during a protest against increase in fees, hostel and transport problems.

The PU administration claimed that students had attacked the security guards and injured 10 of them, while the protesting students alleged that they had been attacked.

The incident took place in front of the Faisal Auditorium when students from the hostels and various departments started a protest rally.

Addressing the protesters, their leaders also demanded that the Punjab government investigate the alleged suicide of a girl in a PU hostel.

A student of the Library Science Department, Khalid Mahmood, claimed that the students were protesting against a huge increase in the fees, hostel dues and facilities issues when several of them were injured by the staff. However, the university administration stated that 10 security guards had been injured in an attack by activists of some student groups outside the Institute of Education and Research.

A spokesman for the PU said students had attacked the guards with glass bottles, stones and sticks.

He said that the before the rally, student organisations had assured the administration that they would not make provocative speeches.

The spokesman said some students had spoken in accordance with the SOPs but the last speaker had started a provocative speech.

According to a police spokesperson, Muslim Town SHO Inspector Atif was also injured.