BAHAWALPUR: Controversies continue to follow the Islamia University (IUB) following the surfacing of alleged drug and sexual harassment scandal as the one-man tribunal looking into the case declared that it had nothing to do with the Aug 30 `police search’ on the campus which was carried out without its permission.

The statement of the tribunal head, Mr Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar of the Lahore High Court, was issued here on Thursday night by his staff officer Maqsood Ahmed, who said the judge had expressed his annoyance over complaints of police search of university hostel housing women faculty members.

Mr Maqsood said that women faculty members had complained that their mobile phones were checked, inappropriate questions were put and their basic right of privacy was trampled.

According to the press release, the learned judge said that no institution or authority was permitted to search any office or hostel of the IUB. He said if any faculty member or a woman officer or student had any complaint regarding the incident in female hostel, she could immediately contact the tribunal.

Police say no search operation carried out in female hostel

The judge further said that the honourable IUB teachers, employees and students should consider them safe as the tribunal would meet the requirement of justice.

POLICE VERSION: Umar Saleem, the spokesman of District Police Officer Syed Muahmmad Abbas, denied any search operation, checking of female faculty mobile phones and their humiliation, if any.

He said it was a baseless propaganda against police . He added that the police only wanted the record of the anti-women harassment applications lying with university cell for its submission to the tribunal. He said the IUB security head had produced the same required record to the police.

The spokesman said the DPO had taken serious notice of the press release of the tribunal’s staff officer and ordered an inquiry into it. “If any involvement in this matter is proved, responsible policemen will be dealt with strictly,” he said.

In a press release later, the district police said it was committed to women’s safety, respect and honour. It said female teachers and girl students of IUB and other local educational institutions were always respected by local police.

Meanwhile, staff officer Maqsood Ahmed in a letter to the Divisional Commissioner Dr Ehtesham Anwar Mahar constituted a committee on the direction of the tribunal.

According to staff officer, the committee will comprise commissioner as its chairman with two members – the regional police officer (RPO) and deputy commissioner. The committee is supposed to ensure safety of IUB staff, teachers and students and no action should be take without prior permission of the committee.

He said if an illegal act was committed by any person, the same shall be probed into by the committee in consultation after engaging the administrative authorities of the university – VC, registrar or dean.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2023