MULTAN: A former student of the Bahauddin Zakaria University (BZU) was stabbed to death and two others studying in the varsity were injured in an alleged attack by a fellow student here on Saturday.

University’s Resident Officer (RO) Tahir Mahmood said there were two different versions of the incident. According to one version, being given by the activists of students organisation, the suspect, Awais Jutt, snatched a mobile phone and cash from a student residing in BZU’s Hamza Hall, after barging in his room.

Mr Mehmood said the other students residing in the hostel room had submitted an application to the hostel superintendent regarding the incident and also brought the matter into the knowledge of the office-bearers of the students organisation.

The RO said that later some six to eight students chased the suspect and intercepted him near the canteen located between Abubakar Hall and Umar Hall. He said the suspect retaliated with a sharpen-edged weapon and attacked those who were chasing him, resulting in the death of a formed student of the varsity, identified as Mahar Kaleem and two others -- Qadeer and Zulfiqar -- were injured.

“As per the other version, a video of Jutt showing him drinking liquor went viral on social media. Jutt believed that the activists of the students organisation were behind uploading the video clip, and he had clashed with them over the issue a couple of days back,” he said.

The RO said that to take revenge, the activists of the students organisation attacked Jutt when he was sitting at the canteen, resulting in the killing.

“The deceased (Kaleem) was a former student of the university and it is yet to be probed that why he was staying in the varsity hostel,” he said. He said that the suspect had been handed over to police by the university administration.

Sources, however, said that the suspect had an old enmity with activists of the organisation as he was allegedly dropped out from the varsity as a BS student for not joining it (the students organisation).

The sources said later Jutt passed BA examination as a private student and got admission to Masters programme in Pakistan Studies.

Published in Dawn, August 15th , 2021