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Students take to streets against harassment

By: WAJIDULLAH

PESHAWAR: Dozens of student activists belonging to various political parties at the University of Peshawar Monday took out a protest rally to condemn what they described as the alleged harassment of female students by teachers, demanding stern action against the responsible people.

Some of the protesting students resorted to violence, smashing the windowpanes and flowerpots and pelting offices at campus with stones. The violent protestors also raised their full-throated slogans against the administration for the alleged harassment of female students by the faculty and staff members.

However, activists of the Insaaf Students Federation (ISF) and the Pakhtuns Students Federation (PkSF) took out separate rallies to condemn the alleged harassment of female students in the university.

On the occasion, the protesting students informed that for the last several months several female students of various departments complained of being sexually harassed by the teachers in their respective departments.

Sumera Shams, the president of the women’s wing of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) at the Peshawar University, said there were reports of sexual harassment in various departments and claimed that some of the students had even left their studies.

“The professors and teachers are forcing the female students for undue favours in return for better position in examination and a number of them have been even forced to quit,” she alleged. She also claimed that the ISF had directly interacted with some of the victims but due to fear of social stigma, the students were afraid to disclose their identities.

Besides, Pakhtun Students Federation (PkSF) Campus President Tariq Afghan said that such kinds of complaints were increased with each passing day and the administration should take interest into the issue by conducting an impartial inquiry to unveil the culprits involved in this inhuman act and take to task those found guilty.

Rasool Jan, vice-chancellor of the University of Peshawar, said the campus administration did not receive any such complaint so far but was prepared to take action if any such incident was happened.

University Spokesperson Akhtar Amin said that no such complaint in this particular case was received to the university administration so far. There were certain bylaws, he said, if they receive any such complaint of any student, action would be taken according to the law and in the light of Higher Education Commission guidelines against the harassers.

He also informed that an Inquiry Committee in chair of Dr Miarajul Islam Zia, Chief Proctor, was constituted that would ascertain the causes of protest.

The Nation