GUJAR KHAN: A first year student at the Government College Gujar Khan died after he fell from a speeding bus on the G.T. Road near Gujar Khan city Wednesday morning.

Other students on the bus set it on fire and damaged a Rescue 1122 building in the premises of the Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital, alleging that the authorities had not provided an ambulance for the student.

Eyewitnesses said a student of the Gujar Khan Government College identified as Bokarrhe village resident Mohammad Afaq was on a bus bound for Lahore at around 8:50am. The bus was entering Gujar Khan city at high speed and the victim, who was perched on the roof of the bus, fell off the vehicle and was gravely injured.

The students and eyewitnesses called Rescue 1122 services to no avail. After Afaq was shifted to the THQ hospital, the authorities there decided to move him to Rawalpindi but there was no ambulance available and he died, locals on the scene claimed.

Students, mainly from private colleges, gathered at the scene of the accident and at the hospital. Local sources said political elements also joined the crowds, with resorted to agitation and burned the bus and damaged windows of the Rescue 1122 camp office in the THQ hospital.

Gujar Khan Assistant Commissioner Mehreen Abbasi, Deputy Superintendent of Police Sardar Babar and Gujar Khan Union Council Chairman Shahid Sarraf also reached the scene, where they attempted to pacify the students. The college’s principal Prof Syed Sajjad Bokhari, who was on watch and ward duty at the college gate, also pacified students at his campus and visited the hospital.

Rawalpindi Deputy Director of Colleges Prof Sher Ahmed Satti also visited the college to seek information from the principal and staff.

Mr Bokhari said Afaq was a first year student in the pre-engineering group.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2018