A case has been registered against 39 officials of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) charging them with ‘torturing’ journalists from different news outlets.
Earlier this week, many journalists had been injured after guards employed by UAF attacked them for covering a student-related incident. Samaa TV had reported that its reporters, cameraman and driver were ‘severely beaten up by security guards at Faisalabad’s Agriculture University’.
Express News had said the channel’s cameramen, Muhammad Usman, was among the journalists injured when UAF guards pelted stones at them outside the university’s premises. Employees of Aaj TV, Metro TV, Dunya TV and Neo TV also sustained injuries in the incident. The first information report (FIR) was registered on behalf of Yousuf Cheema, a reporter at Samaa TV.
Suspects named in the FIR include Director of Student Affairs Shahbaz Taliban, Principal Officer Dr Jalal Arif, Security Chief Aamir Butt, Principal Officer Estate Management Dr Haroon Zaman and Security Officer Latif Niazi. At least 30 unidentified security guards are also mentioned in the FIR. While Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmed was initially mentioned in the FIR filed by Cheema, his name was removed by the complainant after the vice-chancellor visited the news agency’s office on Thursday night.
On his visit, Dr Ahmed reportedly briefed the Samaa TV staff regarding the incident. Dr Ahmed is said to have apologised for the scuffle and said a probe into the issue had been initiated. He said a team of three deans was working on the issue and checking footage recorded by cameras installed at various points in the university to trace the accused guards and other officials as well. He added that the tragic incident should not have happened and the university wanted ‘cordial relations with media persons’.
‘I assure you that I had nothing to do with the incident as I was in Islamabad and came to know about the incident through media reports’, he claimed. Following the meeting, Cheema submitted a fresh application to the Civil Lines police excluding the name of Dr Ahmed. The case was registered under Sections 148,149, 337-A1, 337-F1, 337-L2, and 427 of the Pakistan Penal Code. No arrests have been made so far.
