LAHORE: Different student organisations on Wednesday condemned police action against students for recent violent protests following an alleged rape incident at Punjab College.
During a press conference at the Lahore Press Club, representatives from various student groups announced plans for a nationwide ‘Student Solidarity March’ on Nov 20 if authorities do not withdraw their actions against intermediate students across several cities in Punjab.
Leaders from the Progressive Students Collective, Revolutionary Students Front, People’s Students Federation, Progressive Students Forum and the Pashtun Council collectively criticised the state’s heavy-handed response to protests in Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujrat, and Rawalpindi.
They also condemned security guards at the Punjab University for allegedly torturing and injuring students participating in the demonstrations.
They said that the widespread student protests outside private colleges in different cities of the province reflected societal frustration with the state’s unjust policies. They added that the police action against protesting male and female students had overshadowed the truth behind the rape allegations at the college.
The leaders pointed out that government officials’ statements were contradictory. They accused the state of protecting the education business of a tycoon by attacking intermediate students in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Gujrat to safeguard his interests.
They claimed unarmed boys and girls faced heavily armed security officials, with the state using tear gas, baton charges, aerial firing, and armoured personnel vehicles to disperse the protesters.
They further alleged that hundreds of students, aged between 15 and 17, were taken into custody, and cases were registered against them.
The leaders said the protests were a reaction to the oppressive actions of private college administrations, which had turned educational institutions into prisons. They claimed that students were subjected to psychological pressure, threats, and exorbitant fees, driving their resentment.
They called for student representation in decision-making processes at educational institutes and on anti-harassment committees, to be implemented in a democratic manner.
The student organisations issued a charter of demands. These included the establishment of anti-harassment committees in every institute with democratic student representation, an independent commission to investigate harassment complaints and publish its report, action against police and security guards involved in torturing protesting students at Punjab College, and the unconditional withdrawal of all cases and disciplinary actions against the protesting students.
Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2024