LAHORE: The Punjab University (PU) on Wednesday suspended eight students from the rolls for attacking different offices in the administration block.

A number of students from Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) ransacked the offices of the vice-chancellor (VC), registrar and public relations officer on Friday.

The PU administration also lodged a complaint to the chief secretary about the police inaction against the students who vandalised its offices. The police also remained silent spectators and did not arrest the suspects attacking the offices.

The students ransacked the offices when the university employees were working in their offices.

The group, armed with bricks, wooden sticks and cricket bats, forced their entry into the registrar office and ransacked it. They vandalised other offices too and broke the windowpanes and other property indiscriminately. They also manhandled the university security staff.

A case was registered against 40 IJT activists, of them 13 nominated. The PU administration suspended eight of them from the rolls of the university. The students include Arslan Sarfraz (English language Teaching and Linguistic), Mehmoodul Hassan (Philosophy), Aamir Fida (Social and Cultural Studies), Faizan Babar (Hailey College of Commerce), Haider Ali and Sana Ullah (University Law College), and Sadaqatullah (Metallurgy).

According to a notification, the VC under regulations 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the University of the Punjab Act of 1973 ordered the suspension of the students from the Rolls of the University with immediate effect for breaching and violating discipline.

A spokesperson for the PU said the students were suspended from attending classes and a disciplinary committee would conduct a further inquiry into the incident. He said the administration was following a clear policy and would not allow anyone to breach the peaceful environment and create a law and order situation.

He said strict action would be taken against the suspect involved in the case.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2021