KARACHI, Aug 17: The administration of the University of Karachi on Tuesday debarred a student from coming to the varsity for his alleged misbehaviour with a teacher.

Sources on the campus said the student, believed to be an activist of the Imamia Students Organization, was detained by Rangers for a couple of hours for creating nuisance in the International Relations department, and was finally left outside the campus, in line with a decision of the varsity's disciplinary committee.

The student has been told that he was reportedly involved in manhandling a teacher of the IR department and as such he should not come to the campus till further orders.

The discipline committee, which is headed by the vice- chancellor, has initiated proceedings against the student and a show cause notice would be sent to him on his given address, added the source, saying the administration was under immense pressure from teachers, who wanted immediate rustication of the student in question.

It was learnt that a couple of students, including Alamdar Hussain of the Department of Health and Physical Education, were visiting various departments of the Arts Faculty, and persuading teachers not to conduct classes so that students could largely participate in a protest rally against the killings of innocent people in Najaf and other holy places of Iraq. The rally was later peacefully held on the campus.

As part of their pre-rally efforts, the group in question also reached the Department of International Relations and entered a classroom, where an Assistant Professor, Dr Shaikh Mutahir Ahmad, was delivering a lecture.

"Mr Mutahir took exception to the care-free attitude of the visitors and pointed out that they should first understand the sanctity of a classroom, and should not enter without permission," said an official at the helm of affairs. At this, one of the group members reacted to the remarks and resorted to manhandling the teacher, said the official.

Following the fuss, first the Registrar, Prof Syed Sikandar Mehdi, and then the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Pirzada Qasim, visited the department and discussed the situation with the faculty members and students available there. They also stressed for an overall improvement in the behaviour of students on the campus, said a source.

It was learnt that the varsity administration was also trying to identify other students besides Alamdar, who were reportedly involved in manhandling the IR teacher. Various teachers bodies, including the Tanzeem-e-Asatiza Pakistan, have expressed concern over the alleged manhandling of the KU teacher and demanded stern disciplinary action against the involved students.

In the meantime, the Imamia Students Organization brought out a rally to condemn the indiscriminate air-bombing and action by foreign forces in Iraq at around 11am in a tense environment, when the varsity administration had already taken precautionary measures in view of Monday's clash between two student groups outside a neighbouring university.

The rally started from the central cafeteria, passed the administration block, and after marching through some departments of the science faculty, culminated there itself.

The organization had been accorded permission for the rally, which remained peaceful, said a source. The Karachi University Teachers Society has condemned the manhandling of a teacher of the Department of International Relations, adds APP.