PHOTO: FILE
HYDERABAD: Teaching activities at three major higher education institutions in Jamshoro remained suspended on Wednesday, a day after the police reportedly manhandled protesting employees of Sindh University.
The staff of the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology and Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences went on strike to condemn the incident. Meanwhile, 14 members of the Sindh University Employees Welfare Association (SUEWA), who had been arrested on Tuesday, were sent on a seven-day judicial remand.
The SU employees have been demanding the resignation of the varsity’s registrar, Muhammad Nawaz Narejo, for over a month. “Narejo is a corrupt official,” said enraged SUEWA president Ghulam Nabi Bhalai. “He has his own security guards, and acts like a war lord.” He claimed that the university administration had called the police to disperse a sit-in by members of the association on Tuesday. When the protesters refused to move away, the law enforcers started using tear gas shells and batons to disperse them, alleged Bhalai.
Over a dozen people, including six policemen, were reportedly injured. Over 100 SUEWA members have gone into hiding, as two separate FIRs, by the university as well as law enforcers, have been registered. Over 140 “unidentified” people have been nominated in the FIRs. The protesters have also demanded jobs for children of retired SU employees, and plots for staff members.
On Wednesday, SU vice chancellor Dr Nazir Mughal criticised the employee union of “blackmailing the administration”. “We would give a notice to the employees through advertisements in around three days. If they do not turn up [for work], then the university would hire new staff members.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 31st, 2013.
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