February 16, 2006	Thursday	Muharram 17, 1427

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LAHORE, Feb 15: Fear gripped the Punjab University’s New Campus following the killing of a cafetaria employee during a protest rally taken out by a student wing to condemn the blasphemous caricatures here on Wednesday.

Soon after the incident, most of the departments were closed and students and employees were asked by the student wing to gather at a hostel for funeral prayers.

The students, especially, girls were stuck up in their departments as they could not leave the place for their homes owing to suspension of traffic on the new campus bridge.

Some of the girl students preferred staying in the girl’s hostel till the restoration of traffic in the afternoon. However, after the funeral prayers, the police and the rangers blocked roads leading to the new campus. Students of evening classes unaware of the situation also faced a great deal of inconvenience in reaching the campus.

The mess and hostel canteens also remained closed till evening.

Several teachers were wondering how did the administration allow the Islami Jamiat Tulba to hold a protest rally despite a ban imposed by the Punjab government following violence on Tuesday in the city.

“Who is responsible for the death of the PU employee — the varsity administration or police?” questions a faculty member.

Acting registrar Col Mustansar Javed (retired) refused to comment on the role of the administration in this regard, saying that he was not in a position to say anything on it.

A DSP leading the riot police told the vice-chancellor that he had orders from his higher authorities to shoot protesters to stop them from proceeding, a student said.

The teachers said the administration should establish the writ of the university laws. “Had the administration implemented the provincial government’s ban on rallies and processions this tragic incident would not have happened,” they observed.

Several teachers feared that the incident would largely affect the students attendance in coming days.

Meanwhile, the IJT has announced black day in the varsity and hold protest demonstrations in educational institutions across the country on Thursday.