Police Clash With Students Protesting Alleged On-Campus Rape

Pakistani police fired tear gas and charged at student protesters who ransacked a college building on Thursday, while outrage spread over an alleged on-campus rape.

Tensions have escalated on college campuses since reports of the incident in Lahore went viral on social media, prompting protests in four cities across the country.

The latest violence erupted when hundreds of students demonstrated outside a campus in Rawalpindi, Punjab Province.

They burned furniture and blocked a key road, disrupting traffic, before storming a college building. Police responded by swinging batons and firing tear gas to disperse the crowds, according to police official Mohammad Afzal. Authorities stated that they arrested 150 students for disturbing the peace.

In Gujrat, also in Punjab Province, clashes between student protesters and police led to the death of a security guard on Wednesday. Police have arrested a suspect in connection with his death. They also detained a man accused of spreading misinformation on social media about the alleged rape and inciting violence among the students.

Earlier this week, more than two dozen college students were injured in confrontations with police in Lahore while they rallied to demand justice for the alleged victim, who was reportedly raped at the Punjab Group of Colleges. Authorities, including the province’s chief minister and the college administration, denied any assault, and so did the young woman’s parents.

Sexual violence against women is prevalent in Pakistan but often goes unreported due to the stigma surrounding it in the conservative society. Protests addressing sexual violence are uncommon.

Hasna Cheema from the rights group Aurat Foundation criticized both the police and the media for their mishandling of sensitive issues. “They turn things from bad to worse instead of solving them,” Cheema said.

According to the Sustainable Social Development Organization, there were 7,010 reported rape cases in Pakistan in 2023, with nearly 95 percent occurring in Punjab. The organization highlighted that social stigma deter women from seeking help, leading to potential underreporting of actual cases.

These protests follow a recent incident last month where a woman was gang-raped while working during a polio vaccination drive in Sindh province. Police arrested three men in connection with that case. Tragically, the woman’s husband rejected her after the assault, accusing her of tarnishing the family’s honor.

The ongoing unrest reflects the urgent need for better support systems and legal frameworks to protect women and address the pervasive issue of sexual violence in Pakistan, as the nation grapples with the demand for justice.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press