KARACHI: Students who either suffered injuries or have witnessed the violence that occurred over a mixed gender cricket match last week at Karachi University are receiving threats and being warned not to share details of the incident with anyone, it emerged on Tuesday.

Regarding the controversy over girls’ thrashing, some eyewitnesses told Dawn that they were also beaten up during the incident.

According to sources, none of the girls who suffered violence during the scuffle have come to the university after the incident and rumours are circulating on the campus that they might leave the university.

The male student Muhammad Saqib, who received severe injuries, is also resting at home.

“I was there with other students but could not do much to stop students from fighting. Now, we are being threatened by members of a student group not to talk to anyone over the issue else we would have to face dire consequences,” a student told Dawn on condition of anonymity, adding that he did not know the names and identity of those students.

The students responsible for thrashing colleagues over a cricket match, he said, roamed free on the campus and no warning had been issued by the administration to them.

Another student, who was also there at the time of violence, said that a heated argument between the students led to the violence. “Initially, they raised objection over the mixed gender match and left. After a while, they came with more boys and attacked anyone who came in their way,” he said.

According to the students, it was not the first time that boys and girls were playing together on the campus in the evening. In fact, it was a routine affair.

“It was just to kill time while we waited for our point buses. Unfortunately, what happened yesterday has further demoralised us and students are feeling more insecure now,” a student said, while referring to Monday’s chaos on the campus following thrashing of a journalist.

In response to a question whether the victim students have been contacted over the past few days, KU student adviser Dr Ansar Rizvi replied in the negative and said no interaction could be made with the students after the incident.

“A meeting was planned with victim students on Monday but [it] had to be cancelled due to a tense situation on the campus. While today there were official meetings on the same issue.”

The victim girl students, he said, were still to be identified. The university had notified members of the committees that would investigate the incident of journalist’s thrashing and the violence over the cricket match.

“The Rangers’ wing commander also held a meeting with representatives of students groups today and has given them a clear message not to take the law into their own hands,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2015

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