Scores of National Textile University (NTU) students staged a demonstration on Monday against the administration for closing the university for a month and postponing their mid-term examinations.
The announcement for a one-month closure came on Sunday following a violence between two student groups on campus on Saturday.
The protesting students blocked the Faisalabad-Sheikhupura Road, burned tyres and placed blockades.
Haroon Manzoor, one of the protesting students, said a group of students, called the Monnoo group, had had a heated argument with another students’ group. This was followed by a scuffle that left some of the students from both sides injured.
The protesting students alleged that the university administration was supporting the Monnoo group giving them the freedom to go around the campus bullying other students. They said the Monnoo group had been interfering in the university’s internal affairs, “recommending administrators to take action against their rival groups”.
On Saturday, they said, the Monnoo group created panic among boarders by resorting to firing in the air outside the hostel over the room-allotment dispute. They said the group wanted the university administration to allot rooms to students after consulting them.
They said the firing forced the administration to close down the university.
The protesting students said their mid-term examinations were scheduled to begin from June 17.
Ubaid Aslam, another student, said some students had attacked some of the boarders on Saturday night. He said they also tried to set a room on fire. He said some students frequently beat up other students and snatched their mobile phones and cash. He said the administration had been informed several times, but no action had been taken against these violent students.
The students dispersed peacefully after three hours.
NTU Rector Dr Niaz Ahmad told The Express Tribune that there had been a scuffle between two student groups over the allotment of hostel rooms.
He said the university had been closed down for a month to avoid trouble.
“The decision has been taken to keep the students safe. We will meanwhile talk to the students and their parents to calm things down before the university reopens,” he added.
He denied that the university was supporting any of the students’ groups.
He said, “We will take disciplinary action against miscreants and cancel their hostel allotments.”
Dr Ahmad said the new date for the mid-term examinations will be announced soon.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2013.