QUETTA: Police have rejected the claim of some social media activists that the death of a female student who participated in a rally of students recently held in Quetta against alleged irregularities in the online entry test for admission to Bolan Medical College, was caused by baton charge and shelling of tear gas by the police.

A spokesperson for the police said that the female student, identified as Hani Baloch, had died of natural causes.

Over 50 students from different districts of Balochistan were taken into custody and several others were injured after police baton-charged them for staging a sit-in at the city’s Edhi Chowk on Sept 8.

After the death of the female student, some social media activists belonging to different political and student organisations claimed that Hani Baloch died from injuries she received during the baton charge.

The police’s spokesperson termed such claims fabricated and propaganda against the police.

Aurangzeb, a cousin of Hani Baloch, who is the central information secretary of the Baloch Students Organisation, also rejected the claims that she died at a result of the police’s baton charge. He said his cousin was not feeling well for some time.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2021