LHC annuls 15 QMC students’ suspension notification

LHC restores QMC 15 students suspended by academic council for allegedly damaging college property and inciting riots.

BAHAWALPUR: A Bahawalpur bench of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday restored 15 students of Quaid-e-Azam Medical College (QMC) who were earlier suspended by the academic council for allegedly damaging college property and inciting riots.

The bench declared void the notification issued by the administration in this regard and summoned the principal and the academic council on September 23.

The QMC academic council had suspended 15 students for a two-year period on September 14.

The students continued their protest strike for the 33rd day on Tuesday.

In presence of heavy police contingents, the students staged a demonstration in front of the college auditorium and demanded for the immediate resignation of the principal, Ijaz Shah.

Several students told The Express Tribune that they would continue their boycott of the send-up examinations. They alleged that the administration had forced a few first year students to sit in the exams. On refusal, they added, the administration even offered them a free pass through the exams if they marked their attendance but they declined the proposal.

Female students alleged that a number of lady police officials broke into the hostels early morning and tried to force them into appearing for their exam.

The officials, they said, dragged them from their hair to force them out of the hostels.

The police managed to take them to the college auditorium where the students later staged a sit-in and torn apart answer sheets in protest against the administration’s ‘brutal tactics’. They chanted “Go Ejaz Go” slogans and said that the boycott would continue as long as the administration heeds to their demands.

The students alleged that the state officer, Arif Zaidi, hostel wardens and several professors were threatening them to halt the protest.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2010.