LAHORE, Feb 15: A man was killed and eight others were injured on Wednesday when students of the Punjab University turned violent while protesting against publication of sacrilegious cartoons in some European newspapers.

Police and eyewitnesses said around 1,000 students gathered at the university’s New Campus for a rally. Police requested the students not to violate the ban on rallies imposed after Tuesday’s riots in the city.

However, it was agreed that the students would stage a peaceful demonstration and disperse; but the protesters started damaging vehicles.

Tension ran high throughout the day as people in small groups held rallies and protests in different areas besides the main gathering at the university, where cafeteria worker Rizwan Shaukat, 30, was killed.

“We did our best not to clash with the students,” city’s acting police operations chief Chaudhry Shafqaat Ahmad told Dawn. He said police resorted to teargas shelling when the students pelted police and public property with stones and bricks.

He alleged that some students also fired on police and public.

A statement issued by police said shots were fired from different directions.

It claimed that empty shells found at the place were those of a 0.30-bore pistol, a weapon not used by police.

However, the statement said, DIG Khwaja Khalid Farooq had assigned the acting operations chief to probe into the matter.

The statement claimed that students also fired gunshots from two hostels for about two hours.

However, an Islami Jamiat-i-Tulaba statement claimed that the man had been killed in police fire.

The clash also left at least eight people injured, who were taken to the Jinnah Hospital.

After the firing broke out, protesters divided into small groups and damaged a dozen vehicles in adjoining areas.

Businesses in various localities of the city were affected and offices and shops kept opening and closing at intervals, with reports and rumours of clashes pouring in all day, police said.

They added that many petrol pumps were closed for hours.

Later, funeral prayers for the deceased were led by Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Husain Ahmad.

Traffic was obstructed by protesters on Multan Road in Chuhng area and some vehicles were damaged.

Punjab police chief Ziaul Hasan Khan directed all district police heads to ensure implementation of the ban on rallies.