FAISALABAD, Oct 15: The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) administration initiated a probe into an attack on the house of the vice-chancellor by issuing a charge-sheet against 13 students of different hostels, sources told Dawn on Friday.

The probe against students has been started as the warden office, directorate of students' affairs and state department after two weeks of investigation have pointed out some firebrand boarders with some evidence.

A 10-member disciplinary advisory committee, comprising one professor from each faculty, will complete the probe within two weeks.

Hundreds of boarders attacked vice-chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmed's house on the campus on the night between Oct 1 and 2 to press the university administration for the acceptance of their demands.

Protesters want relief for students belonging to flood-hit areas, payment of internship and admission to students having less than 3 CGPA to postgraduate courses.

They were also protesting delay in declaration of results and admissions to postgraduate courses, non-cooperation of sanitary, electricity and civil work staff and the “improper attitude of some teachers, hostel staffers, security guards and others”.

On the complaint of security officer Nasir, the Civil Lines police had registered a case against some 25 unidentified students. Instead of arresting the accused student, the police deemed it fit to seal the FIR.Students also injured four constables when the police were called in, forcing the uniformed men to stay away from the furious mob.

Raising slogans against the university administration and the VC, using filthy language, damaging the university property, setting ablaze a security vehicle, pelting the VC's house with stones inflicting injuries to principal officer Dr Farooq Ahmed and misbehaving with the university faculty were the six charges leveled against the accused students in the charge-sheet.

Guilty students will be punished under Section 4 of the Student Discipline and Conduct Regulations 1978.

Sources said the inquiry committee had conducted its probe on Thursday and Friday and quizzed the accused students one by one. But, they said, the committee could expand its scope of investigation to other students as well.

To avert such incidents in future, the deans committee of the academia had decided in its meeting that various committees would be constituted to run the hostel affairs.

A university officer claimed that the vice-chancellor had issued directions to incumbents of the treasury office and endowment funds for the issuance of internship stipend to students.

Receiving of fee from students hailing from flood-hit areas have also been deferred and they were asked to continue their studies without any fear. A counseling center was also being set up for the solution of students' problems, he added.

He said the financial assistance of donor agencies were being requested for the construction of hostels that would lessen the burden of boarders from 18 university hostels.

He said five new hostels were under-construction on Jhang Road and one of them had been handed over to the university administration.

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