The Punjab Group of Colleges (PGC) faces intense protest after allegations of rape against a female student. News reports claim that a first-year student at PGC Campus 10 was allegedly raped by a security guard named Aun in the basement last week.
In the wake of this incident, celebrities from the entertainment industry, such as Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir, Maya Ali, Dure Fishan Saleem, Yumna Zaidi, Bilal Abbas Khan,Nadia Hussain Khan and Amar Khan, stepped up to voice their concern. They all shared on their Instagram stories to support the protesting students and demand accountability from the authorities.
Yumna Zaidi expressed her heartbreak, stating, “Out of words Heart broken 💔 .”
While other celebrities posted pictures of PGC with the hashtag Protest for Girl.
Apart from celebrities, in a press conference, Deputy Inspector General Operation (DIG) Faisal Kamran said, “A special team was formed to nab the suspect and investigate the matter further. The reports of the incident were only circulating on social media, and neither the victim nor her family had yet come forward.”
On their Facebook account, the Punjab Group of Colleges issued an official statement about the incident, saying, “We would like to address the recent false claims circulating on social media regarding an alleged incident at one of the campuses of Punjab Colleges. Following a thorough and impartial investigation by law enforcement authorities, we can confirm that no such incident has been reported to the police or our campus administration, and no student, parent, or guardian has raised concerns.”
“At Punjab Group of Colleges, the safety and well-being of our students and staff are of the utmost importance. We have implemented strict security protocols that are continuously monitored and updated to ensure a safe and secure environment for everyone on campus”, PGC added.
On the other hand, amid the confusion, the father of one of the students appeared in a video with ASP Sherbano Naqvi to clarify the situation.
He said, “In these videos, it is being propagated that our daughter is involved. However, there is no such thing, our daughter had an incident at home where she slipped and fell, which led to her being in the ICU. We have provided all the medical reports and documents related to this matter. Those who have daughters should at least try to feel this pain because since we saw the videos, we have been disturbed that our daughter’s name is being mentioned, even though she is at home and there is no issue.”
Protests have continued, resulting in clashes with police that injured at least 27 students. The Government of Punjab has suspended the college registration.
In a video posted by Punjab Police, ASP Sherbano addressed the situation.
“Unfortunately, a law and order situation has arisen, and the sole reason for this is misinformation and propaganda on social media. We have heard on various social media platforms about a private college student who was allegedly raped and taken to a private hospital.
“However, we are currently standing in a government hospital, and not only have we checked the records inside this hospital, but we have also checked all the records at that private hospital. The fact is that there has been no admission related to any girl who has been raped at that hospital,” she said.
In response to the growing protests, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has formed a six-member committee to investigate the case. Chief Secretary Punjab will lead the committee, which includes senior officials from the departments of home, education, and healthcare.
