Human Rights Violations
Punjab Police uses brute force to suppress student protests over the rape of student in Lahore
As students stage protests and demand accountability, the administration downplays the incident and resorts to force, injuring dozens of students. The owner has close ties to the Sharif family.
The rape of a 15-year-old Punjab Group of Colleges student by a security guard has sparked widespread protests across Lahore. While students staged demonstrations and boycotted classes, the police claimed the incident remains unverified, with no official report or contact from the alleged victim or her family.
The owner of the college, Mian Amir Mehmood, has close ties to the Sharif family, which is currently imposing its agenda on the government through blatant undermining of the public will and the theft of the electoral mandate during the elections 2024.
In response to the protests, the school administration and police resorted to excessive force. As of the evening of October 14, 2024, 29 students have been seriously injured in clashes with the police.
It must be noted that Punjab Group of Colleges students are making only two demands:
- There should be only female staff and guards inside the college so the students inside are not harassed
- The guards and all the accomplices involved in the rape should be arrested
These are fair demands that do not warrant a brutal response from the police, especially one that results in the torture and arrest of students.
It should be noted that since the May 9 protests, police brutality has become the norm, with authorities openly using force to suppress, oppress, and torture those who speak out against injustice.
This outrageous use of force by authorities, the administration, and the police to clamp down on anyone and everyone must be put to a halt.
