PESHAWAR: Teaching Staff Association (TSA) of the historic Islamia College University on Wednesday boycotted the classes and staged a sit-in against the vandalism and manhandling of two faculty members by a group of students along with ‘outsiders’ earlier in the day.

The association’s president Fazal Wahid told Dawn that their boycott of classes and sit-in outside the vice-chancellor’s office would continue till restoration of peace in the campus, expulsion of the ‘outsiders’ and award of punishment to the culprits involved in the mayhem.

He told Dawn that the university administration failed to expel many outsiders from the campus despite the fact that they had raised the issue several times.

The teachers also marched towards the campus police offices, where they staged a sit-in, demanding the registration of FIR against the students involved in misbehaving with the faculty members.

Speaking to the teachers, TSA president Fazal Wahid said the university administration failed to provide protection to the teachers. He also sought removal of the vice-chancellor and registrar from their offices immediately.

The ICU teachers claimed students affiliated with Khalil Students Organisation had been involved in violent activities for the past several weeks on different pretexts, including restrictions they faced for low attendance and non-payment of tuition fees.

On the other hand, the students levelled allegation of sexual harassment against an official of the university administration and non-availability of basic facilities in hostels.

A student of the Pashto Department, who is reportedly a US national, while addressing students, claimed that the hostel she was staying in lacked facilities. She said she took up the issue with the warden, provost, registrar and other officials, but in vain.

Also, she said she was infected with dengue, but the hostel and university administrations refused to allow her to go home or hospital for treatment.

Following her speech, a group of students went to the political science department, where they misbehaved with a female teacher and then turned to the English department where they beat up and hurled abuses at a teacher, namely Awal Said, who is also general secretary of TSA.

Meanwhile, ICU categorically denied and rejected the ‘baseless, fabricated and malicious allegations’ made by a female student in her public protest, according to a statement issued by the university.

“These accusations, levelled against hostel staff and other officials, have no foundation in reality and are a clear attempt to mislead the public and tarnish the institution’s reputation,” it said.

“When asked by the police to substantiate her claims, the student in question admitted that she had no evidence to support her accusations,” the varsity statement said, adding she had never filed any formal complaint regarding these allegations with any relevant office.

The statement said the female student’s participation in the protest while wearing the insignia of a particular ethnic student political group underscored the politically motivated nature of her actions.

“It is evident that her unsubstantiated claims aim to pressure the university administration to refrain from taking disciplinary action against certain individuals involved in documented incidents of vandalism and disruption of the university’s academic environment,” the statement said.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2024