Policemen stand near vehicles burnt during a demonstration to condemn the alleged rape of a student in Lahore on October 16, 2024. Photo courtesy: AFP
Senior directors of a Pakistani college said on Wednesday there was no evidence that a student was raped on the campus, sparking days of protests online.
Hundreds of students have been protesting since Monday in response to social media posts that a woman was raped in the basement of the Punjab College for Women campus in the eastern city of Lahore.
The protesters, mostly male students, broke windows and burned school buses.
The protests reflect growing concerns over security, harassment and sexual violence in Pakistan.
“The incident does not exist. I will resign and leave this profession and stand with the students,” Arif Chaudhary, Lahore director of the private Punjab Group of Colleges, which runs the women’s college, told reporters.
Agha Tahir Ijaz, another director of the group, said at the same press conference: “We want children to understand that they should not believe misinformation.”
Police arrested a security guard who was identified in online posts, but said no victims had come forward and they were unable to confirm the incident.
The protests began on two college campuses on Monday afternoon and continued on Tuesday and Wednesday before spreading to several other colleges in the city.
The college campus where the alleged rape was said to have taken place has been closed by the provincial Punjab government until further notice.
Chief Minister of the province Maryam Nawaz Sharif said that those spreading false posts will be punished.
published – October 17, 2024 04:20 am IST