Violence at BZU: 51 students remanded for two days

26 students of rival group released on bail.


Owais Jafri April 29, 2012

MULTAN:


As many as 51 activists of the Islami Jamiat Talaba were on Saturday remanded into police custody for two days over Friday night violence at one of the Bahauddin Zakariya University hostels.


However, 26 Peoples Students Federation activists also arrested in the same matter were accepted granted bail and released.

Police said the activists of the two student groups were produced before separate judges to avoid another confrontation and possible violence at the hearing. They were arrested by Alpa police in a crackdown on Friday night. The IJT men were accused of shooting at Ali Hostel during a siege that continued for over an hour.

The complaint by Amanullah Khan, resident officer at Ali Hostel, said that the IJT men, and several outsiders, had forced entry into the university to avenge the kidnapping of a colleague, identified as Zakaullah, a mechanical engineering student at the BZU. The IJT had accused PSF men of kidnapping. PSF had denied involvement.

The PSF men were charged with protesting against the olice for what they called unjustified searches for weapons at the hostels.

Amanullah told The Express Tribune that Zakaullah had been abducted by some students from Ali Hostel on Friday morning. The resident officer said Zakaullah was later handed over to his brother, Ziaullah. He said Ziaullah had signed a document acknowledging this. The document was presented in the court during the hearing on Saturday, he said.

Talking to The Tribune on Friday night, IJT’s Punjab nazim Rasal Khan, denied that that Zakaullah had been returned. He said some activists from his organisation had gone to the hostel to recover him. He alleged that the BZU administration was partial towards the PSF.

BZU Estate Director Shabbar ali Attiq denied that the administration was favouring any group. He also said the IJT had broken university regulations by bringing outsiders to the hostel and creating a law and order situation at Ali Hostel.

Witnesses told The Tribune that the siege of the hostel continued for over an hour and ended on arrival of a police team led by Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Gohar Nafees.

The FIR registered in the matter mentions Section 324 (attempted murder) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Display of weapons

Shahzad Baloch of the PSF and Rasal Khan of the IJT on Friday night were arrested separately for displaying weapons on the campus. Both were granted bail but only Baloch was released. Khan was held for being named in the assault case.

Protest demonstrations

Dozens IJT, Shabab-e-Milli and Jamiat Talba Arabia supporters on Saturday staged demonstrations in the city against the arrest of the IJT men.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2012.

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