More than 100 arrests in Rawalpindi over alleged rape of college student in Lahore

RAWALPINDI: Students protesting the alleged rape of a Lahore student were dispersed with tear gas, while more than a hundred violent protestors were arrested in Rawalpindi. Students invaded a university hostel, pelting stones and causing damage to vehicles, protesting the alleged rape of a college girl in Lahore.

Students took to social media to voice their activism and gathered outside the Punjab Group of Colleges in Rawalpindi, fueled by their outrage over the perceived act. Students in Dhok Ghamial, fueled by anger, closed the college gate and went on to vandalize the building.

A portion of the private college in Rawalpindi was burned and looted by students who went on a rampage. Protesters set fire to furniture, tires, and other items on the sides of the road in the vicinity of educational institutions in Rawalpindi’s most affected neighborhoods, including Khanna Pul, Morgah, and 6th Road.

The students, filled with anger, retaliated by hurling stones at the police. In response, law enforcement took action by utilizing batons and deploying tear gas shells. The incident led to considerable traffic jams on key routes, such as Murree Road, 6th Road, Peshawar Road, Jhelum Road, and nearby streets.

The Khanna Pul campus faced unrest as protesters vandalized the windshields of buses and vehicles parked within the premises. According to the information received, several volumes from the college library were taken and set ablaze on the service road adjacent to the Expressway.

The unfolding situation led to a state of turmoil, with instructors, staff, and students finding themselves trapped on campus as the unrest escalated. The police have apprehended 150 demonstrators for disrupting public order. Additionally, the police are currently employing human intelligence and video surveillance to identify the protesters.

According to Hafiz Kamran Asghar, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations in Rawalpindi, approximately 150 violent demonstrators had been apprehended, and the situation was now entirely under control. SSP Asghar also stated that they did not wish to apprehend students; however, they would arrest anyone who attempted to impose law in the name of demonstrations.

“All the angles of the protest are being investigated,” the SSP said, adding that a heavy contingent of police has been deployed on the main roads outside the colleges in different areas of the city. “All the closed roads have also been opened,” SSP Asghar added.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has declared that the alleged rape was “fabricated news,” blaming the PTI for spreading the “fake reports” on social media. Punjab Group of Colleges (PGC) Director Agha Tahir and other office-holders have termed the incident “baseless.”