LAHORE, Dec 22: A clash between the activists of Islami Jamiat Tulaba and Imamia Students Organisation on Thursday over holding a Yaum-i-Imam Hussain event on the Punjab University’s New Campus left several of them injured and some vehicles damaged.

Around 200 students belonging to both organisations pelted each other with stones and bricks, besides resorting to aerial firing at the varsity’s parking lot adjacent to Faisal Auditorium. Girl students, who were sitting in the lawns of Institute of Education and Research and preparing for their examinations, got traumatised and took refuge inside the institute building when the violence erupted at around 11am.

The armed clash continued for almost two hours, while police played silent spectator.

The policemen deployed on the campus, meanwhile, ran away when they saw a group of students heading towards them. A large battalion of varsity’s security guards was also not seen on the spot.

The Rescue 1122 personnel later shifted the injured students to Jinnah and Sheikh Zayed hospitals, while a journalist, Abdul Shakoor and over a dozen injured students were given first aid on the spot.

The girl students, who witnessed the whole incident from first floor of the IER building, told Dawn the IER and Faisal Auditorium lawns, parking lot and the road leading towards the main gate had turned into a battlefield.

“Bricks and stones were flying like birds,” a student, Muniba Ijaz, said. Another student said their examination had also been postponed in the wake of the clash.

The PU administration has condemned the violent incident and said it was the stated policy of the present administration that no student organisation could hold its activity on varsity campus. The varsity administration also condemned police for not intervening and controlling the violent clash.

Former ISO central president Syed Nasir Abbas Sherazi and its central secretary general Abid Hussain said the organisation had taken permission from the varsity administration to hold Yaum-i-Imam Hussain on the Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology ground. They said that they had displayed posters about holding of the event.

IJT Punjab Nazim Rasool Khan Babar and PU acting Nazim Amir Yaqoob held PU vice-chancellor responsible for the sectarian clash as he had permitted the ISO to hold the event. They claimed that they had informed the varsity administration in writing to stop the event as it might lead to a sectarian clash.

The ISO leaders told Dawn that the organisation’s members, who were supposed to make arrangements for the event, found that water had been released in the ground where it was to be held. They said the roganisers then urged the varsity administration to allow them to hold the even at the Faisal Auditorium. They claimed that vice-chancellor was also scheduled to speak at the Yaum-i-Hussain event.

While the ISO members were gathering in front of Faisal Auditorium, they said, the IJT activists armed with weapons and batons attacked and severely thrashed them.

The ISO leaders also alleged that the IJT activists used derogatory language against those holding Yaum-i-Hussain event and said they would not allow it on varsity campus.

They informed the media persons that six ISO members, Arif Qanbri, Nasir Hussain, Abid Hussain, Ali Waseem, Ali Murtaza and Akhtar Ali, were seriously injured while four others were missing. They alleged that the missing students had been kidnapped by the IJT activists.

Later, at a news conference, the ISO leaders announced three-day mourning and vowed they won’t allow any student organisation or sect to establish its hegemony in the varsity.

They also alleged that the IJT activists had been threatening ISO members since last night and had even resorted to aerial firing in hostels’ area at around 1am. They said the Jamiat activists had also thrashed some Shia students residing in varsity hostels.

Meanwhile, IJT leaders Rasool Khan Babar and Amir Yaqoob, speaking at a news conference, alleged the varsity administration was responsible for the clash. They alleged that VC Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran had tried to disrupt the peaceful academic environment on campus by allowing a student organisation to hold its event there.

A PU spokesman said both the IJT and ISO had requested the administration to allow them to organise their activities on campus. He said the administration had allowed the IJT to hold its event on the condition that ISO would also organise its activity. “The IJT agreed and organised its event but came out to confront the ISO when it announced Youm-i-Hussain activity,” he observed.

The spokesman said a student organisation, on Wednesday night, displayed posters about holding “Shan-e-Sahaba” conference at the venue marked for ISO’s event and at the same time. Resultantly, the IJT activists resorted to aerial firing in the hostel area. Realising the gravity of the situation, he said, the university administration alerted the police concerned. The police requested the PU administration not to allow ISO activity to avoid any untoward incident, he said.

Accordingly, the spokesman said, the ISO leaders were urged to postpone the event for the time being but they refused. “Both student organisations tried to hold their events at the same spot at around 10:30am, which resulted in violence,” he claimed.

The spokesman said that IJT activist Atif Gujjar had also kidnapped two members of varsity’s security staff – Waqar Sarwar Butt and Abdul Aziz – at gunpoint. Later, he claimed, Aziz was released but Butt was still in IJT custody. He said the PU administration would take action against the students involved in clash.

Iqbal Town SP Sahibzada Bilal Umer said the police would take necessary legal action. He, however, refused to comment on role of police during the clash or receiving any application for the registration of a case.