Manhandling of colleague: Students hold protest, seek suspension of policemen
Police officials allegedly beat up a fourth-year medical student at a seminar.
SWAT:
Hundreds of students of Saidu Medical College staged a protest rally over alleged harassment of one of their colleagues by the police. After boycotting classes and hospital duties, the students gathered at Allah Square in Saidu Sharif, blocking the main Mingora-Saidu Road and raising slogans against the police.
According to college sources, the police beat up a fourth-year student, Iqbal Ahmad, of the medical college when he tried to leave a seminar and later registered a case against him.
A medical student, Adnan Qayum, said that police was deployed to ensure security at a conference in the college. He said that Ahmed had to go outside on emergency but the police refused to let him leave. When he persisted, the policemen deputed at the gate started beating him up and did not stop even when college professors intervened. The policemen then put him in a patrol van and took him to Saidu Police Station, where they registered a case against him under acts 506, 183 and 153 of Pakistan Penal Code.
To resolve the matter, college professors and doctors went to the police station but the police refused to let him go.
The students demanded for quick remedial measures in the case, otherwise, they warned that they would take to the streets in protest and will boycott classes and duties in the hospital. “We ask students of all the medical colleges of the country to condemn violence of police against the students,” said another student requesting anonymity.
Moreover, the students demanded that the district superintendant of police and station house officer Saidu Sharif be suspended.
The protesting students said that Swat has become a police state, where, apart from innocent citizens, students are also harassed. They condemned the incident and demanded justice for their colleague.
When contacted, DPO Swat Gul Afzal Afridi said he is on official leave but will contact the acting DPO initiate an inquiry into the matter. Despite repeated attempts, the acting DPO could not be contacted.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2012.
Hundreds of students of Saidu Medical College staged a protest rally over alleged harassment of one of their colleagues by the police. After boycotting classes and hospital duties, the students gathered at Allah Square in Saidu Sharif, blocking the main Mingora-Saidu Road and raising slogans against the police.
According to college sources, the police beat up a fourth-year student, Iqbal Ahmad, of the medical college when he tried to leave a seminar and later registered a case against him.
A medical student, Adnan Qayum, said that police was deployed to ensure security at a conference in the college. He said that Ahmed had to go outside on emergency but the police refused to let him leave. When he persisted, the policemen deputed at the gate started beating him up and did not stop even when college professors intervened. The policemen then put him in a patrol van and took him to Saidu Police Station, where they registered a case against him under acts 506, 183 and 153 of Pakistan Penal Code.
To resolve the matter, college professors and doctors went to the police station but the police refused to let him go.
The students demanded for quick remedial measures in the case, otherwise, they warned that they would take to the streets in protest and will boycott classes and duties in the hospital. “We ask students of all the medical colleges of the country to condemn violence of police against the students,” said another student requesting anonymity.
Moreover, the students demanded that the district superintendant of police and station house officer Saidu Sharif be suspended.
The protesting students said that Swat has become a police state, where, apart from innocent citizens, students are also harassed. They condemned the incident and demanded justice for their colleague.
When contacted, DPO Swat Gul Afzal Afridi said he is on official leave but will contact the acting DPO initiate an inquiry into the matter. Despite repeated attempts, the acting DPO could not be contacted.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2012.