Several injured as police break up IJT sit-in

PESHAWAR: Several students sustained injuries as police resorted to baton charge to break up the protest sit-in arranged by Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) outside Khyber Medical College (KMC) on Sunday.

The IJT had organized the sit-in against the institution’s administration for not allowing them to hold their annual book fair despite permission granted earlier.The students then blocked the main Jamrud Road for traffic for several hours causing serious problems for commuters. The protesting students were demanding immediate removal of the dean KMC Dr Mahmud Aurangzeb, chairperson literary society of the college Dr Erum Sabir and Campus Police officers. The protest students were led by their Campus President Taqweemul Haq.

Speaking on the occasion, Taqweemul Haq criticised the college administration and campus police for using force against innocent students. He said that three injured students were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in critical condition.

He said that the students were holding a peaceful protest against the unlawful and unjustified action of the college administration to ban a purely academic activity, which they have been arranging for the past five decades in the college.

“The KMC book fair is a regular feature of the history of the medical college,” he said. This was the 51 annual ‘book fair’ of the college, which had been arranged after formal permission from the college administration. He accused the college’s administrative officer as solely responsible for the entire situation.

He said that when they made all-out arrangements for the event and invited book dealers from across the country to set up their stalls and provide books to students at subsidized prices, the college administration closed the venue for them putting them in an extremely awkward position.

He said that they would hold the event at all costs. The police action was totally uncalled for and a height of atrocity against innocent students. “We will keep the road blocked until the officials responsible are removed from the important positions and justice is provided to the students. we are ready to render every sacrifice for our just cause,” he declared. The college administration remained silent over the entire episode. However, police made a few attempts to hold talks with the protesting students and get the road open but to no avail as the protesting students were not ready to accept anything less than removal of the officials concerned.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami head for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Central) Abdul Wasi condemned the police action against the peaceful students of IJT in an attempt to impose restrictions on an education-friendly event like the book fair within the premises of KMC. He demanded that the anti-student and anti-education police administration deployed at Peshawar University Campus should be immediately removed from the province’s largest and most peaceful academic institution.

Additionally, action should be taken against the police administration responsible for the violent baton charge against peaceful students. He pointed out that while drug use and unethical activities are common in universities right under the police’s watch without any restrictions, students face bans and severe violence when organizing educational activities such as book fairs.

He added that the ban imposed by the Campus Police on the 51st Book Fair at Khyber Medical College is incomprehensible. He emphasized that such oppression by the administration cannot weaken the determination of IJT.