LAHORE, Sept 12: More than 15 Punjab University students, most of them belonging to the Islami Jamiat Tulba, were booked for damaging the vice-chancellor’s office on the New Campus on Monday.

A case has reportedly been registered by the Muslim Town police against the accused, most of them unidentified, for damaging the property and putting the life of the staff in danger.

When contacted, the police refused to disclose the names of the accused. No arrest has been reported till the filing of this report at 10pm.

Sources said some 40 students staged a demonstration outside the vice-chancellor office in the morning for fee cut and opening new bank branches on the varsity premises.

Chanting slogans against the administration, they said it was running the varsity on commercial basis which tantamount to denying admission to the poor students. They said there was only one bank branch on the New Campus and the students had to stand in long queues to deposit fee.

They smashed the doors and windowpanes of the VC office for which the administration called out police. The protesters again gathered outside the VC office in the afternoon and chanted slogans but the police did not intervene.

Registrar Prof Dr Naeem Khan told Dawn that the demonstration was organized by the IJT to pressurize the administration to withdraw the show-cause notices it had issued to its seven activists, including the nazim, for organizing an admission stall outside the mass communication department a couple of days ago.

Prof Khan said the administration would not allow anyone to create law and order situation. The current incident of violence would not be helpful for those who had been issued the show-cause notices.

He said that police had been asked to remain alert and reach the campus within five minutes of call during the admission period.

An IJT spokesman, however, denied the allegation, saying the none of activists was involved in the protest and violence.