HYDERABAD: Faculty members, administrative staff and students of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro, came together on the campus on Tuesday and staged a rally in protest against incidents of intimidation by some residents of the villages in the vicinity of the university, who demanded passage through the campus.

LUMHS Teachers Association’s president Prof Dr Rasool Bux Behan, LUMHS Officers Association’s chief Dr Sajjan Khan Halepoto, LUMHS Staff Association’s general secretary Saeed Ahmad Lashari and others, who led the protest, said that some residents of the neighbouring villages were raising the demand that they should be provided a passage through the main campus.

They said the university could not do this as it was a matter of security for students, staff and faculty members including females.

It would jeopardize the security of national and foreign students residing in hostels, they said.

They said that the main campus had been secured with a boundary wall and exit points had been sealed by the university management.

Previously, these routes were open and led to incidents of robberies, thefts, snatching of phones and laptops, valuables, movement of unauthorised individuals and criminals within the campus who used to harass female students, they said.

Prof Behan said that they could not compromise security of students and employees at any cost.

LUMHS had already spared four acres of its land to provide an alternate route to the villages and not only this but the VC assured the villagers that a permanent transport service for their children could be provided to enable them to attend school, they said.

In case of any emergency, ambulance service would also be provided to the villagers on one phone call, they said.

Dr Halepoto said that the villagers’ demand was unjustified and any act of defaming the institution and use of filthy language against top varsity management would not be tolerated.

The university faculty and staff reserved the right to protest, they said.

Mr Lashari said that LUMHS staff members were not ready to tolerate such elements who wanted to disrupt security on the campus.

Faculty and employees were on the same page and ready to resist strongly unjustified agitation [by villagers] that created disturbance in peaceful and safe atmosphere of the varsity, he said.

According to LUMHS’ vice chancellor, the villagers were provided 4-5 acres out of the university’s land around two and a half years back for a separate route for the villages and the residents had thanked the university management at that time.

But, he said, now some elements within the villagers were creating nuisance.

The university could not provide any further space for villages because it was a matter of security for the students including foreign nationals, he said and added that presence of criminal elements was reported around the villages in past.

Sources said that some residents of two villages with predominantly Khoso community men were provided jobs by the university administration and now those who did not get the jobs also wanted employment in the university.

The villages were provided land to connect them to the Indus Highway, said the sources.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024