KARACHI, Sept 7: Situation worsened on the campus on Saturday as rangers deployed at the University of Karachi resorted to baton-charge against protesting students and teachers.

The indiscriminate use of force resulted in injuries to at least three dozens people, including male and female teachers and students. The incident resulted in damage to varsity property by some hooligans.

As a result of the brawl, the life on the campus completely paralysed. No academic activities were held, while different examinations scheduled for the day on the campus were also postponed.

There had been an uneasy calm for quite some time at the university following some controversial actions taken by the university administration and the teachers and students had been protesting against the alleged arbitrary actions.

Under their ongoing protest, teachers and students had decided to continue boycott of classes on Saturday, but situation took an ugly turn when rangers posted on the campus used batons against the agitating students and teachers, an eye-witness said. Female teachers and students were also not spared.

Students hurled stones as rangers engaged themselves in baton charge on students and teachers who were allegedly pulled out from offices of their chairpersons and subjected to inhuman treatment, claimed students.

In a brief chat with newsmen at 2.30 pm, Col Maqbool of rangers observed that things went wrong as there was nobody to have talks with angry students and teachers.

“We took action against students and teachers as per our mandate in view of the law and order problem in the morning”, added the official, informing he was trying to contact the vice chancellor on the issue.

It was a day of rangers on the campus as none of the administrative high-ups, including the vice chancellor, registrar and their close aides, were available in their offices after the rumpus on the campus. A couple of rangers also sustained injuries.

Students and teachers who had been alleging victimization and harassment of teachers and students and other employees, had boycotted the classes on Thursday as well.

They have been demanding withdrawal of orders pertaining to forced retirement of a senior KU teacher.

They also criticized the setting up of a marriage hall on the premises of a research institute of the university and issuance of show-cause notices and other restrictions on teachers and students.

Eye-witnesses said at 9.30 am when the vice chancellor was on a round, escorted by his deputies and security personnel in a charged atmosphere, an altercation took place between the rangers and students near the Department of Mass Communication.

Rangers were seen beating some of the students and taking away a couple of them from the scene, added the eye- witness, informing that some of the teachers tried to approach the security personnel, but they, too, were given a rough hand.

Female teachers of various departments said that they were misbehaved by the team, touring under the leadership of the vice chancellor.

While adopting a threatening posture, some of the security personnel and administrative bosses of the university also asked the teachers to attend to their classes or face the dire consequences, added the sources.

After the initiation of the confrontation, students and teachers finally assembled near the administration block of the university, where once again they were not taken appropriately.

Security personnel first attempted to plough their vehicle into the protesting students, which finally left no room for the agitators but to enter the administrative block, said a student.

Another eye-witness said when the office-bearers of the Karachi University Teachers’ Society, including Sarwar Nasim, the secretary, tried to calm the students down and pursue the rangers not to torture students and teachers, they were beaten up harshly.

A couple of teachers, including Sarwar Nasim, got multiple fractures, and were rushed to the hospital immediately.

Irrespective of heavy guards and physical resistance, a number of students and teachers in the meantime managed to enter the administration block and ransacked the offices, including that of the vice chancellor.

The official car of the vice chancellor (GS-2107), and iron grills and glass panels of the building were also damaged by the protesters.

After the brawl, students and teachers, held separate sit-ins outside and within the administration block, while speakers condemned the highhandedness of rangers and indifferent attitude of the varsity administration. The sit-in, which continued for three hours, was also attended by the non-teaching staff of the university.

Speaking at a protest meeting, representatives of teachers and students and non-teaching staff vowed to continue their protest against the administrative actions till the time the rangers responsible for torture on teachers and students were not removed.

Speakers, including Dr Riaz Ahmed, Prof Raees, Prof Suhail Barkati, Abid Azhar, Ishaq Mansoori, Prof Shahida Kazi, Malahat Kaleem Sherwani, Jalees Ahmed, Mohammad Arif recalled the ghastly treatment meted out at the hands of the rangers and said that Saturday’s action was pre-planned.

When approached by a group of hostile students and teachers, Colonel Raza of the rangers said (11.30 am) he was all sorry for the events, but an official enquiry would, surely be ordered; and if the rangers personnel were found responsible for the malaise, an exemplary punishment would be given to them.

Those who sustained injuries due to violence on the campus are as follows:

Teachers: Sarwar Nasim, Afaq Siddiqui, Dr Abid Azhar, Dr Abdul Qadeer, Nusrat Idrees, Dr Mahmood Ghaznavi.

Students: Osama Shafique, Nasrul Islam Usmani, Mohammad Rafique, Mohammad Shahid, Shazia, Aliya, Sobia, Saira, Naureen, Sanam.

At the outset, some eight students were detained by the rangers for a few hours. They included Osama, Nasar, Shahid, Mohsin, Noman, Saad, Mohammad Rafiq, Kashif and Naseem.