Lahore college closed amid protests over rape as police find no evidence

Hundreds of students protested on two campuses of the college after social media posts reported that a woman was raped at the college by a security guard.

• Eastern Eye
• 17 October, 2024

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By: Eastern Eye

A COLLEGE campus in Lahore was shut down on Monday (14) by the provincial government after reports spread online that a student had been raped, sparking demonstrations.

Hundreds of students protested on two campuses of the college after social media posts reported that a woman was raped at the college by a security guard.

The police in a press conference, however, said no victim had come forward to file a complaint and the college dismissed the allegations as “false”.

“The records of all the CCTV cameras in the campus have been checked. Till now, we are unable to verify the incident,” said senior Lahore police official Faisal Kamran, adding that the police had also checked hospital records. “The alleged victim has not been identified as yet.”

The Punjab College for Women in a post on Instagram said no incident had been reported to police and that false information had spread online.

The incident was first reported on social media over the weekend, with varying accounts stating that the rape took place last Thursday (10) or Friday (11) evening in a campus basement.

A security guard identified online was taken into custody. Punjab government said the campus would be closed until further notice, in a notification posted by information minister Azma Bukhari said on X.

“The suspect has been in custody since yesterday. But until now, no girl or no incident has been reported,” Bukhari said.

Students vowed they would continue to protest until safety was brought to campuses.

“Even if it takes a month, we will continue to come here. Shut the campus down. Hang that guard here,” said Adeel an 18-year-old student who refused to give his second name and joined the protests from a nearby college.