17 January 2005	Monday	06 Zilhaj 1425

HYDERABAD, Jan 16: Parents of girl students of the Sardar Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College have demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident of Jan 12 in which girl students of the college were harassed by boy students.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club on Sunday, Prof Tariq Khushik and Prof Zafar Tanwari of the University of Sindh, Irshad Bohio of Naushahro Feroze and Muneer Memon of Kandiaro said there was a distance of only five feet between the hostels for girls and boys.

They said they had informed the college administration about the situation but no action was taken in the matter. They said on the night of Jan 12 some boys broke windowpanes of Room-10 of the girls' hostel and tried to break open the door.

They said this created panic among girl students and they started screaming. They said the judiciary took notice of the incident and police conducted raid on the boys' hostel but no one was arrested.

They said the principal of the college instead of resolving the problems, summoned girl students and threatened them with dire consequences if they ever complained to their parents about the college environment.

They said they had sent telegrams and fax massages to the chief justice of the Sindh High Court, Sindh governor and chief minister, district and sessions judge, informing them about the situation.

They demanded that unless proper lodging and boarding arrangements were made and protection to girl students was ensured, they should be transferred to other medical institutions.

They said it was most unfortunate that 32 seats of the Naushahro Feroze district in the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences were cancelled by the Sindh Governor to accommodate others. They demanded that these seats should be restored and their daughters be shifted to Jamshoro.