PESHAWAR, Jan 21: Students of Islamia College staged a demonstration in front of the college here on Tuesday to protest against non-availability of rooms in hostels, high rates of penalties and the ban on study tours for the students.

The demonstration was organized by the Muttahida Talaba Mahaz. A large number of students gathered in front of the college hostels and raised slogans in favour of their demands. The charged students went on a rampage and pelted stones at the hostel buildings and broke window-panes.

Later, a group of students reached the principal’s office where they demanded of the college administration to provide rooms to third-year students in the hostels.

Some of the students threw stones at the principal’s office to express their anger, shattering its window-panes.

The students marched on different roads of the university and staged a sit-in in front of the vice-chancellor office.

Speaking on the occasion, Arshad Baloch of the People’s Students Federation and Mohammad Abdul Hadi of the Islami Jamiat Talaba, expressed concern over the alleged anti-students policies of the college administration.

They said the third-year students had been facing boarding problems and had to live at far-off places which affected their study. The students, they said, also faced a curfew-like situation in the hostels and were not allowed to even attend their telephone calls or go outside after 8pm.

The speakers criticized the high amount of penalties imposed on the students on flimsy grounds and asked the administration to end the practice.

They were of the view that the students deposited money under the head of study tours at the time of admission, however, there was no such tour and the money had been pocketed by the administration.

MEETING: The students leaders also held a meeting with the vice-chancellor and apprised him of the problems being faced by the student community.