KARACHI, April 3: Police resorted to aerial firing and baton-charged the protesting students of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, Gulshan campus, who lit bonfires suspending traffic flow on the University Road on Tuesday.

They were protesting against the suspension of academic activities in the campus for over a week. The classes were suspended following the 27th March incident when teaching staff were maltreated by three students.

On Tuesday, the students demanding resumption of classes set ablaze a motorcycle and tyres outside the campus on the main University Road. Law enforcers reached the spot and resorted to firing in the air and baton charged the students to disperse them.

Official sources said the Higher Education Commission had already warned the varsity’s administration of reducing summer vacation to meet the teaching requirement. The loss of 10 days of teaching and failure of the varsity’s administration to control and normalise the situation had caused further loss of education in the varsity, they added.They said the Abdul Haq campus of the FUUAST also remained closed for two days. However, the administration failed to resume teaching at the Gulshan campus.

Anjuman-i-Asataza of the FUUAST would convene a meeting on Wednesday at Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan Auditorium to review the prevailing situation in the Gulshan campus.

The organisation had demanded increased security for the staff so that they could serve with peace of mind. They claimed that varsity’s administration officials had been enjoying the facility of security and the teaching and non-teaching staff were insecure.