Over 26 booked for terrorising college staff

PESHAWAR:

A serious incident of harassment, intimidation and violence unfolded at Hayatabad Postgraduate College when a group of students allegedly locked the premises from inside, stormed the principal's office and subjected the principal, women faculty members and other staff to threats and verbal abuse, plunging the campus into panic and creating an atmosphere of extreme insecurity.

According to a written complaint submitted to Tatara Police by Bibi Sultana, principal of the College of Nursing, certain students forced the main college gate shut from within and then entered the administrative wing. Once inside the principal's office, they harassed and threatened the principal along with women faculty and other staff members. The sudden aggression triggered widespread fear among those present, disrupted normal academic activity and produced a highly unsafe environment that the college administration could no longer control.

Faced with the rapidly deteriorating situation, college authorities immediately contacted local police for legal assistance and protection. Officers from Tatara Police Station responded promptly and reached the campus in an effort to secure the principal, women staff and faculty members and to restore order.

During the police intervention, however, some of the unruly elements turned on the law-enforcement personnel themselves. Policemen were attacked and the windscreens and windows of official vehicles were smashed, causing damage to government property. The assault on police further escalated the already tense situation and underscored the seriousness of the breach of law and order on the campus.

Police subsequently took several individuals into custody at the scene. Following preliminary investigations, an FIR was registered against more than 26 students. The accused face charges of harassment, issuing threats, creating insecurity, forcibly confining people by locking the premises, and taking the law into their own hands. The case has been registered under Sections 342, 506, 147, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Police officials stated that further investigation is under way and that legal proceedings will be pursued against all those found involved in accordance with the law. The college administration has expressed serious concern over the incident, describing it as a grave challenge to institutional discipline and the safety of female staff and faculty. Authorities have indicated that additional security measures are being reviewed to prevent any recurrence of such violence on the campus.