LAHORE/GUJRAT/BAHAWALPUR: Different lower courts in Punjab on Friday discharged cases and ordered cancellation of the first information report (FIRs) registered against at least 245 suspects, mostly students, for allegedly staging violent protests against the alleged rape of a girl studying in a private college of Lahore.

In Lahore, a judicial magistrate at Cantonment courts on Friday discharged 22 students from a case of violence and vandalism during protest against the alleged rape of a female student at a private college.

Harbanspura police had registered an FIR on Wednesday (Oct 16) and arrested the protesting students for attacking public and private property near Lal Pul area on Canal Road.

The police presented the students before the magistrate, seeking their physical remand for 12 days.

Official says 20 of those arrested in Gujrat were not students, but organising rallies

However, the magistrate turned down the police request and discharged the students in the case.

In Gujrat a local court has ordered release of at least 16 suspects arrested in the case of allegedly attacking and ransacking the girls campus of the Punjab Group of Colleges (PGC) after accepting their bail plea.

The Civil Lines police had lodged a case on the complaint of the college administration on Wednesday, arresting at least 16 students.

However, Magistrate Saqib Rasool Tarrar on Friday accepted their bail applications, and ordered the police to set them free.

Different police stations in Gujrat district had registered at least seven cases against at least 1,095 people, including some 230 nominated suspects, under different sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The police had arrested at least 150 people and most of them were sent to Gujrat jail due to lack of space in the lock-ups.

On Wednesday, scores of the students had attacked the PGC campuses in Gujrat, Kunjah, Lalamusa, Kharian and Jalalpur Jattan towns of the district, leaving a college security guard dead and three students injured.

An official source said that so far police had arrested at least 20 such people who were not students of any college, but were allegedly playing a key role in organising the protest rallies.

He said police and other agencies were probing such suspects to determine who was behind inciting the students to such a large-scale violent agitation causing a loss of “around Rs80 million” to the various PGC campuses in Gujrat district.

Meanwhile, at least 206 students have been booked by Gujranwala police, arresting three of the nominated suspects.

A case has been lodged against these suspects with Gujranwala Model Town police station on the charges of damaging police vehicle and stealing the official wireless set, as well as blocking the main GT Road.

The case is registered under sections 382, 440, 363, 292, 292, 148, 149 and other sections of the PPC on the report of a police official.

In Sahiwal, District and Session Judge Touseef Adeel discharged the case against 32 students who had been arrested by Ghala Mandi police for allegedly disturbing the law and order during protests at Pakpattan Chowk and outside the University of Sahiwal on Saturday.

The police had registered an FIR against 67 students, 32 of them identified, belonging to various educational institutions, under Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) and several sections of the PPC, including 341, 427, 148, 149, 186, 506, and 352.

The case was registered on the complaint of SI Zafer Iqbal of the Ghala Mandi police station.

After the FIR was lodged, district police also shared photos of the protesting students on different social media platforms, asking the public to help them in identifying the suspects.

In Sargodha, a judicial magistrate cancelled the FIR registered by police against around 55 nominated and 120 unidentified students for staging a protest against the alleged rape incident in Lahore.

Sargodha police had raided the houses of these suspects and arrested them.

Dozens of other students were already in Sargodha police custody on similar charges.

During the case hearing, District Bar Association President Mohsin Sherazi and secretary general pleaded that the Punjab government and the Sargodha police had allegedly “abused” the students and booked them for holding a peaceful protest.

The lawyers argued that such “unjustified” action would destroy the careers of these students.

After listening to the arguments, the judge ordered cancellation of the FIR.

BAHAWALPUR: According to police sources, Vehari police nominated as many as 12 college students in an FIR for protesting against alleged rape incident in Lahore.

The nominated suspects include Ahmed, Ali Akbar, Nauman, Kamran, Abuzar, Asif, Adnan, Chand Ali, Abdul Ahad, Umar Farooq, Fahim and Rizwan.

As per sources, a heavy continent of police conducted raids on the residences of the suspects to arrest them.

Meanwhile, a court in Bahawalpur on Friday extended the interim pre-arrest bail granted to former PTI MPA Samiullah Chaudhury up to Oct 25.

The petitioner apprehended arrest in the case registered by local police in connection with Oct 2 protest. He was earlier granted interim bail before arrest up to Oct 18.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2024