Journalists demand action against security guards

Manhandling of reporters, cameramen

FAISALABAD: Journalists Wednesday took out a protest rally against the excesses of University of Agriculture Faisalabad’s security guards who beat TV channel cameramen and reporters a day before.

The journalists from electronic and print media on Thursday were taking photographs of a protest launched by six rusticated students in front of the University of Agriculture. The students were detained by the security guards at the university gate as their entry into university premises had been banned. When the journalists belonging to six TV channels and newspapers tried to cover this event, the UAF security guards baton-charged the journalists while the security guards deputed inside the university main gate pelted stones on them.

Dozens of journalists including Yousaf, Rizwan, Qadeer, Umair and Mudassar were injured and had to be shifted to Civil Hospital by Rescue 1122, where they are still under treatment.

Led by FPC President Ejaz Ansari, the journalists protest rally started at Faisalabad Press Club and before terminating in front of  Zila Council Chowk, it reached the RPO office where they staged a sit-in and raised slogans against the UAF security guards for excesses on working journalists and demanded immediate sacking of the university security guards.

The participants of the protest rally expressed dissatisfaction at late registration of a case by Civil Lines police in this “excess case” and demanded that the RPO intervene and issue direction to the police to register case afresh as per allegations leveled by the office-bearers of the press club in their application.

They demanded a high level inquiry into this sad incident and punishment to those responsible for thrashing and beating journalists. They threatened that in case justice was not awarded, they would extend their protest throughout the Punjab province.