Lahore has witnessed intense student protests after allegations surfaced of a female student being raped by a security guard and van driver at a private school. Hundreds gathered yesterday in response to the accusations, which went viral on social media.
According to a report by Pakistani media outlet Geo TV, the Punjab Police denied allegations of alleged rape, saying "no victims" were linked to the allegations.
What happened?
A 17-year-old female student was allegedly raped in the college basement by a security guard. The victim was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital and shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in critical condition, as per local media reports.
The authorities have arrested a security guard from Sialkot in connection with the alleged rape incident at a private college in Lahore. However, the van driver implicated in the incident is still on the run.
According to PTI reports, st least 28 students, including girls, from different campuses of a leading private college in Lahore were injured during clashes with the police while protesting against alleged rape of a girl student at its campus, police said on Monday.
Despite the college administration terming the allegations as "false claims" and "fake propaganda", the Punjab government does not hesitate to take stern action.
According to media reports, the government has suspended the college registrations and ordered a proper investigation into the matter.
Current Situation:
The protests have erupted once again today as students are demanding justice for the victim. The students have started a protest sit-in outside the Punjab Assembly, despite the heavy deployment of police at the Cheering Cross Mall Road, Lahore.
Not to mention, no first information report (FIR) of the incident has been registered by the family members of the victim despite the outcry.
The situation became increasingly complicated when the victim's family publicly denied the alleged rape claims.
As the protests are escalating, videos of students from nearby schools joining in solidarity have gone viral on social media.
Watch the videos here:
In response to the incident, the Punjab government has formed a high-powered committee to investigate the claims, which is chaired by the chief secretary and includes representatives from various government departments. This committee is anticipated to deliver a report to the chief minister within 48 hours.
