LAHORE, May 16: The Punjab University Academic Staff Association executive body announced boycotting classes and creating law and order “to jolt the government” over the thrashing of two university teachers by a group of students.

“The government does not realise the gravity of an issue until it is responded with a drastic action,” said PU Syndicate member Prof Dr Shaukat Ali, who says he was ridiculed and abused by the group. “Now, either the Islami Jamiat Tulaba (IJT) or we will live here,” he said.

The university remained closed on Monday and Tuesday due to the Islami Jamiat Tulaba’s mourning over the murder of its activist. The activists did not allow the university bus to pick and drop the students. Prof Shaukat claimed that classes were held on Tuesday.

At a press conference, PUASA President Amer Sarwar said the executive body had demanded that the university administration cancel admissions of IJT nazims to hostels and academic departments. The executive body also demanded that all boys’ hostels be vacated immediately. The ASA also demanded the removal of the top police officer of the province for his failure to check the unruly students.

Two chemistry department teachers Dr Ehsan Sharif and Dr Ejaz Butt said they had also become a victim of the group’s highhandedness. According to them, the group manhandled them when they were coming out of Prof Shaukat’s office.

Dr Sharif said that the mob kept on slapping him and brought him to Main University Road. “The boys taunted me, saying ‘now call the vice-chancellor’ and ‘go to PUCIT’,” he said.

Dr Butt said some students also pushed him but he ran and took cover in Prof Shaukat’s office. Prof Shaukat said that he too was misbehaved by the students. “Though some boys called some one to shoot me, I held my ground. The boys then dispersed,” he said.

When asked why teachers were boycotting classes at the cost of thousands of students’ time, the ASA president said, “We cannot take classes until the government and police provide us complete security.” To a question that how the thrashing of two teachers justify the closure of the university, he said, “Do you (reporters) want that more teachers are thrashed and misbehaved?”

Prof Shaukat also criticised security guards who failed to take any action against the mob. He said guards had given a free-hand to IJT activists to – thrash teachers and ransack flower-pots and windowpanes of the vice-chancellor office.