LAHORE (Dunya News) – The administration of the Punjab Group of Colleges on Wednesday rejected the social media campaign against the institution being run for the last couple of days.
There were “baseless” posts of a student’s rape and death on social media that resulted in violent protests in which several students were injured.
Group Director Agha Tahir said during a press conference that the administration treated students “like members of our family". "We hold our female staff in high esteem,” he added.
He said the college administration wanted educational activities as per routine. “We don't want children to wander on the streets. We request parents to exhort their children to continue study.”
The college principal said a message was posted on Instagram on Saturday night regarding the alleged rape of a girl. The Instagram message mentioned that there were doors in the parking lot where the incident took place. The police saw this post on social media and came to investigate the incident.
Police also reviewed CCTV cameras footage, she added.
She said it transpired that a couple of students were posting this story. She asked them to tell the girl's name and her address so that the college administration could contact her.
She said [police] investigations had been completed. “Our stand is vindicated; it was a false propaganda campaign on social media.”
Lahore Director Arif Chaudhry said there were some girls whose interviews had been viral. "They do not study in our institution."
He said he had seen those videos on the social media. “There are eight to 10 girls on the social media whose interviews are viral. The girls in the videos are not from this campus,” he said.
He said he had been associated with this noble profession [of teaching] for the last 36 years.
He said the guards would look into the matter if students break the gate and enter the campus. Some teachers in the campus have also been slapped by some students.
Arif Chaudhry said police had taken DVR and ask police about their findings.
Talking about violent protests by students, he said he was trying to save himself. He was trying to ensure that those who came inside the campus remained peaceful.
He said he had told the truth. “If allegation is proved, I will leave this profession."
FIR REGISTERED
Meanwhile, the Defence A police have registered an FIR regarding the alleged incident.
According to the FIR, the news of assault on a girl went viral on social media. When the parents of the girl were contacted, they denied the incident.
They told police that the girl had a fall at her home on Oct 2 as a result of which she suffered serious injuries. She was treated at the Ittefaq Hospital till Oct 11. She was advised 15-day bed rest.
They said the girl did not go to college during this time. The social media campaign damaged the family's reputation, they added.
The FIA’s Cyber Crime Cell has, in the meantime, constituted a seven-member committee to investigate the incident.