LAHORE: Police on Tuesday registered a case against officebearers and representatives of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Punjab University for allegedly holding an ‘unauthorised’ gathering, disturbing public order and using loudspeakers during their continuing protest on the campus.
The case was registered at Muslim Town police station on the complaint of Punjab University Chief Security Officer Ashraf Bhatti.
Those nominated in the first information report include JAC President Chaudhry Basharat Mahmood, general secretary Tayyab Ejaz Khan, senior vice president Tanveer Awan, vice president Hammad Butt, and faculty members Dr SardarAsghar Iqbal of the Kashmiriyat Department, Dr Kamran Abid of the electrical engineering department, Dr Majid Ali of the Hailey College of Commerce and Dr Hafiz Mugeet Javed Bhatti of the Arabic department.
According to the FIR, the protesters started a rally from Inquiry Chowk near the Information Cell towards the administration block. It alleged that security guards asked them not to proceed to the block as the protest could disrupt academic and administrative activities, and requested them to hold the demonstration at a ground in front of the Institute of Education and Research (IER).
The complainant alleged that the protesters ignored the request, entered the academic and administrative block andheld the demonstration there.
The police registered the case under Sections 147 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Punjab Sound Systems (Regulation) Act 2015.
The JAC condemned the FIR, calling it an attempt to intimidate elected representatives of teachers and employees and suppress their ‘peaceful, constitutional and lawful’ protest.
The committee said teachers and employees had been protesting for the past 36 days over what it described as alleged financial irregularities and governance failures at the university. It maintained that demanding transparency and accountability and exercising the constitutional right to peaceful protest could not be treated as a criminal offence.
The JAC expressed concernover the registration of the case at a time when the vice chancellor was abroad and the pro-VC was performing his responsibilities. It alleged that the nomination of its officebearers aimed at pressuring teachers and employees for raising concerns about alleged corruption and administrative mismanagement.
The committee warned that criminal cases, intimidation or pressure tactics would not force teachers and employees to abandon their demands.
A PU spokesperson rejected the impression that the administration had taken retaliatory action against the protesters, saying it had remained open to criticism and respected the right to express views and hold peaceful demonstrations.
The spokesperson, however, said the right to protest did notextend to violence, mistreatment of employees, road blockades or interference with official duties.
The spokesperson alleged that some protesters might have other motives, including an attempt to divert attention from legal and administrative proceedings concerning them. He said proceedings under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) were pending against some individuals, while issues relating to the degrees of certain persons and questions concerning the recruitment or appointments of some individuals were also under consideration.
He said inquiries into alleged irregularities and fraud relating to Town-III are underway.
‘Legal action will be taken without discrimination in cases of violations of the law,’ he said.