FAISALABAD, May 27: The ‘ignominious’ Government College University Faisalabad issue took a twist on Saturday when its administration replaced the chairperson of the law department to which the complainant belonged.

Sources told Dawn that Mrs Naseem Razi, the law department head, was asked to tackle the issue without letting it hit the headlines. She was also assigned the task of forcing the girl not to file application with the DPO, but all these issues could not be handled according to the wishes of GCU vice-chancellor Dr Asif Iqbal against whose conduct the complainant knocked at the doors of justice.

The student, they said, had been forced to leave the hostel and even the campus and warned against recording any statement before the police or the media. The girl was not available in his hostel immediately after her move to meet the DPO and file a formal complaint against the vice-chancellor.

Sources further said nine of the students, who led the Friday demonstration and boycott of classes, had verbally been asked not to roam about on the campus and stay away. This group of students, too, had been warned of “strict disciplinary action” by the administration.

Dr Asif confirmed the replacement of Mrs Naseem Razi with controller examinations Jawed Aslam Bajwa, saying the move had become necessary because she had failed to ensure conducive and peaceful academic atmosphere.

He said the GCU Faisalabad was a role model all over the province by virtue of its peaceful academic activities and the reports about chaos on the campus were nothing but “wishful thinking of a particular lobby patronised by the Jamaat-i-Islami which is using handpicked outsiders of the Islami Jamiat Tulaba.”

When asked about the imposition of ban on the entry of some students, Dr Asif said “information was being gathered to identify trouble-creators who had at the behest of some vested elements attempted at disrupting the institution’s peaceful atmosphere. All such students, he said, were being served with notices in accordance with the university charter.

The newly-appointed chairman of the law department, Jawed Aslam Bajwa justified the VC’s action. About the fate of the complainant, he said she had gone to his native home and would be served with a written notice on Monday (tomorrow) with a direction to explain the reason why she accused the vice-chancellor of sexual harassment.

Legal circles are of the view that the university management is not authorised to serve notice on the student, who had charged the vice-chancellor with sexual harassment because none of the junior officials can prepare any report against the vice-chancellor if found guilty.

MMA district president Sardar Zafar Husain announced that the party would stage a demonstration and hold public meeting outside the GCU if the vice-chancellor was not removed forthwith.