LAHORE: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Wednesday handed over 13 students to police on a seven-day physical remand and sent 183 others to jail on a 14-day judicial remand for their [alleged] involvement in recent clashes in the Punjab University.

The police had arrested 196 students after registration of four cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act and presented them before ATC.

The investigating officer pleaded that the students were involved in torching a room, damaging public and private vehicles and injuring more than 10 students and two policemen.

He contended that the inquiry was still under way and students should be handed over to the police on physical remand.

The judge remanded 13 students in police custody for seven days for [allegedly] resorting to firing, setting fire to a room and injuring two policemen and sent 183 others involved in vandalism and clash to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

On Wednesday, the situation at the university remained tense with thin attendance in classes. A heavy police contingent was deployed in and around the hostels and personnel also carried out search operation to arrest students nominated in four cases for creating law and order.

The police also arrested a number of students for their involvement in the clash.

On Tuesday night, police arrested more than 100 students belonging to Islami Jamiat Tulba (IJT) and Pukhtun and Baloch Council in an operation in hostels 1, 3, 7, 18 and 8 of the new campus, as well as at the Khalid Bin Waleed Hall of the old campus.

A police officer on condition of anonymity said the total number of the arrested students from the campus and different areas of the city crossed 225.

He said police had also arrested the Pukhtun Council members after they ended presser at the Lahore Press Club.

Iqbal Town SP Rana Umar Farooq told Dawn that the police had arrested top leaders of the Pukhtun and Baloch Council and were conducting raids to arrest the IJT Nazim and its other office-barriers.

He said across-the-board action was taken “and we have arrested students from both organisations.”

He said they would soon arrest the IJT office-barriers who were nominated in the cases.

A university teacher requesting anonymity told this reporter that most of the classes in his department were cancelled due to thin attendance of students.

He said most of the boarder did not attend the classes and the [department] administration cancelled the academic schedule.

However, the university administration claimed that academic and research activities had resumed as per routine. A PU spokesman denied reports of poor attendance. “The classes were held in all departments as per schedule.” He said PU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zakria Zakir had made a firm decision to ensure peace on the campus.

Meanwhile, the chief minister presided over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order and discussed at length the Punjab University incident.

Punjab Minister of Higher Education Raza Ali Gilani and VC Zakeria Zakar briefed the meeting about the incident.

The CM said educational activities should continue in a peaceful environment and legal action should be initiated against the elements responsible for clashes.

He said effective measures should be taken to avert student clashes in future.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2018