LAHORE, Pakistan — In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Pakistani law enforcement utilized tear gas and charged at student protesters who had overrun a college building on Thursday, stemming from outrage over a reported rape incident on campus.
The situation has intensified across various colleges following the circulation of social media posts regarding the alleged rape in Lahore, prompting demonstrations in at least four different cities.
The unrest began when thousands of students rallied outside a campus in Rawalpindi, located in Punjab province. In their protest, they set furniture ablaze and obstructed a major road, leading to traffic disruptions before they proceeded to vandalize a college building. In response, police officers employed batons and tear gas to disperse the crowd, as confirmed by police official Mohammad Afzal. Subsequently, officials reported the detention of around 150 students for disturbing public order.
In a separate incident in Gujrat, also situated in Punjab, violence erupted between student demonstrators and police, resulting in the death of a security guard on Wednesday. Authorities have detained an individual in connection with this tragic event.
Additionally, police apprehended a man accused of spreading false information regarding the alleged rape via social media and inciting students to violence. Earlier this week, over two dozen college students sustained injuries during confrontations with police in Lahore as they protested for justice on behalf of the alleged victim, who reportedly faced sexual assault at the Punjab Group of Colleges.
Officials, including the provincial chief minister and the college management, refuted claims of an attack, as did the family of the young woman involved.
Sexual violence against women is an ongoing issue in Pakistan; however, it often goes unreported due to societal stigmas prevalent in this conservative nation. Consequently, public demonstrations addressing sexual violence against women are rare.
Hasna Cheema, representative of the human rights organization Aurat Foundation, emphasized that both the police and media in Pakistan are inadequately equipped to deal with such sensitive issues. “They escalate situations rather than resolve them,” Cheema remarked.
The Sustainable Social Development Organization disclosed that a staggering 7,010 rape cases were recorded in Pakistan in 2023, with nearly 95% of them occurring in Punjab.
“Nonetheless, due to the societal pressures in Pakistan that deter women from seeking assistance, it’s probable that the true number of incidents may be even higher due to significant underreporting,” the organization stated.
This wave of protests follows closely behind a recent incident in which a woman reported being gang-raped while conducting duties for a polio vaccination campaign in southern Sindh province. Following the incident, law enforcement arrested three suspects, while the woman’s husband abandoned her, asserting that she had brought disgrace to their family.