KARACHI, July 29: The University of Karachi on Saturday failed to conduct LLB Part-I examination as non-teaching staff did not turn up for duties in protest against beating up of one of their colleagues, who was accused of behaving disgracefully with a female candidate on the campus on Friday.

Sources on the campus said that in view of the employees’ agitation and threats, the KU administration decided to put off the Paper-III (Constitutional Law) scheduled for Saturday.

KU authorities feared that the candidates would be unnecessarily disturbed by the agitating employees during the examination, and snatching of question papers and scripts could also take place.

In the meantime, a KU notification said that due to unavoidable circumstances the LLB paper had been postponed and a new date for it would be announced later.

Sources said two sisters, who had come to the Islamic Learning department, the female centre for LLB examination, were sitting there before the commencement of the paper on July 28. A KU employee arrived there and interrogated one of them and finally took away her admit card when the examination was to begin in 40-50 minutes.

The student followed the man upstairs and reached a computer room, where he talked to her further on the subject of cheating, and finally insisted on her body search.

Sensing the employee’s bad intentions, the candidate ran out of the room. She also received some injury while rushing down stairs, said the source, adding that the incident took place when a majority of the staff had gone for Juma prayers.

The girl refused to appear in the examination, saying that she felt insulted. However, after intervention by women teachers, she took the exam, the sources said.

On Saturday, some students attacked the employee in question, who is stated to be an official of the dean’s office of Islamic Learning. The students said the incident was a “clear case of eve-teasing”.

A source said the employee was seriously beaten up by students, which made other non-teaching staff furious. As a result, they stopped work in some departments.

A number of classes in the evening were also disturbed by employees on the campus on Saturday, a source said. On the other hand, students on the campus also held a demonstration against the attitude of the employee. When contacted, Pro-vice Chancellor Dr Akhlaque Ahmad said he had a meeting with the Islamic Learning department and other senior teachers in connection with the alleged misconduct. “I have also heard the employee in question and received a statement from the chairman of the Islamic Learning department and if needed further detailed enquiry would also be ordered by the vice-chancellor.”

Commenting on the Saturday unrest among students and non-teaching employees, Dr Akhlaque said students should not take things into their own hands.

The president of the Karachi University Teachers’ Society, Sarwar Nasim, told Dawn that the disturbance on the campus on Saturday was not a good development and the university administration should take disciplinary action against all concerned.

He said an inquiry should also be conducted into the alleged act of body search of a female candidate.