LAHORE, May 12: A majority of the third-year students of FC College on Monday boycotted their promotion test and walked out of the examination hall after tearing up their answer-sheets as a mark of protest against privatization of the college.

Only a few students attempted their Statistics paper under the watchful eye of police officials.

A large number of plainclothesmen were also present at the main entrance to the New Block to stop the protesters from entering the examination hall and disturbing those attempting the paper.

Students said: “We do not accept American Dr Peter Armacost as our principal and will not appear in examinations being held under his directions.” Some students also said that they had boycotted papers because they were not able to attend classes in the wake of the teachers’ strike under the Joint Action Committee (of teachers, doctors and students) banner.

The students said they would boycott all promotion tests.

The students who had attempted the paper and come out of the examination hall at 12 noon, said that they were made to attempt the paper under the supervision of policemen.

Some students also claimed that they were slapped on the face by policemen when they tried to boycott the paper.

The students also staged a protest demonstration in front of the principal’s office, which was heavily guarded by the police. They broke some flower-pots placed outside the office.

The IJT Nazim for FCC, Sohaib Nazir, said that Principal Armacost was issuing notices to hostel residents asking them to stop protesting or face expulsion. “The principal also sent me a notice asking me to see him, which I refused to receive,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, the IJT spokesman in a press release claimed that the police also took some students into custody but released them shortly afterwards.