ISLAMABAD: A student’s death at a university due to alleged negligence of the management triggered a protest on the campus on Friday.

Inam Javed of BBA second semester at Comsats University suffered a heart attack and died without getting any medical help.

On Sept 28, a female student died after falling from the fourth floor of an under-construction building of Bahria University. The student protested against the university administration for starting classes in the under-construction building which they alleged led to the death of their colleague.

On Friday, some students told Dawn that the lone ambulance of Comsats University was not present on the campus when it was called to shift the student to hospital.

Colleagues of the student tried to bring their own vehicles inside the campus to shift him to hospital but the security guards did not allow them entry.

“Even some of the faculty members were requested to shift the student to hospital in their vehicles but to no avail,” the students said, adding Javed died about 30 minutes after suffering the heart attack.

There is a dispensary at the university but it is not functioning properly, said the students.

The student’s death led to a protest on the campus. A group of students later met the administration and demanded upgradation of the dispensary and purchase of more ambulances.

They also sought action against the guards for not opening the gates and the faculty members who refused to shift the student to hospital in their vehicles.

When contacted, acting Registrar Fahim Qureshi said the student fell all of a sudden after coming out of his classroom and died within 30 seconds.

The university ambulance had taken another student to hospital and that Javed was taken to hospital in another vehicle, he added.

The victim suffered a massive cardiac arrest, he said, adding he was 18 years old and healthy with no medical history.

Mr Qureshi said the security guards refused to open the gates as it was Friday prayers time during which the whole country is put on a high alert.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2019