PESHAWAR: Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, became a virtual battlefield on Friday when its ousted director administration allegedly stormed the main campus and physically tortured a number of employees, including teachers and administrative officials, besides breaking into the vice-chancellor’s residence, forcing the university administration to call the Frontier Constabulary (FC) to help maintain peace in the institution.
Police and the university’s own security were accused of inaction and seeing the activities as silent spectators. However, later when pressure was mounted by the university administration, a first information report was registered against the two suspended employees, namely Dil Nawaz Khan, director administration, and Qudrat Ali of the security section of the university.
The matter deteriorated a couple of days ago when the forced leave of the university’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Iftikhar Ali was de-notified and he was allowed to rejoin his office. Soon after resuming his duties, the vice-chancellor made some transfers and postings. But the officers’ concerned, including Dil Nawaz Khan, defied the orders and instead they locked offices in the university administration.
Sources told The News that the acting vice-chancellor, Dr Shakeebullah, was supporting the defiant officials though he himself has gone into hiding after the reinstatement of the vice-chancellor.
Officials of the university administration, office-bearers of Gomal University Teachers Association and security officials broke the locks the other day and reopened the offices. Dil Nawaz Khan reportedly got infuriated with the reopening of the offices and he along with a security official Qudrat Ali attacked a faculty member from the Economics Department, Sanaullah, at the deputy registrar’s office and tortured him to injuries.
Meanwhile, the vice-chancellor convened an emergency meeting of the university’s syndicate to discuss the situation and take appropriate action.
The meeting was attended by 14 out of the total 16 members of the body. The syndicate expressed grave concern over the unlawful acts of certain employees and decided to award major penalties to the two officials for closing universities’ offices and assaulting a faculty member and serving explanations to those who did not obey the transfer orders.
According to the minutes of the syndicate, the meeting condemned the activities of Dil Nawaz Khan, director administration, and Malik Qudrat Ali of security section for physically assaulting a faculty member Sanaullah Khan in the office of deputy registrar.
The meeting listened to eyewitnesses of the incident and termed the action intolerable, for which major penalty should be awarded to the assailant official(s). The meeting decided to serve show cause notices of major penalties, “dismissal form service as per section 6(1)(b)(iv) of Gomal University Employees Efficiency and Discipline Statues 2016 to Dil Nawaz Khan and ‘removal from service’ under the same statutes to Qudrat Ali. The two officials will be called to the next meeting of the syndicate for personal hearing.”
The services of the two employees were suspended and their entry into the university was banned except on the date of personal hearing.
On Friday, Dil Nawaz Khan reportedly forced his entry into the university premises and went straight to the vice-chancellor’s office where he badly tortured the personal secretary of the vice-chancellor and the public relations officer of the university. He also attacked another official of the university namely Imranullah and broke his leg besides inflicting injuries on his face and other body parts, for which he was admitted to the hospital.
He also barged into the official residence of the vice-chancellor but a security guard fired shots in the aid, after which he fled the scene.
Reached for comments, Vice-Chancellor Gomal University Dr Iftikhar Ahmad expressed concern over what happened in the university at the hands of the two employees and their reported supporters. He said the university syndicate had taken decisions against them, which would be implemented in letter and spirit.
He said that an FIR had also been registered against the accused and they had been arrested by police.
Some reports suggested that the defiant officials were enjoying support of certain influential political figures, mainly Ali Amin Gandapur of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. It was because of the political support that police were reluctant to take prompt action against the accused.
Meanwhile, the registrar of the university on the directives of the vice-chancellor submitted a written request to the district police chief seeking deployment of the Frontier Constabulary in the university to keep the situation under control.
The letter stated that the undesirable incidents in the university had not only deteriorated the peaceful academic and working environment but also won a bad name for the university. It was stated that all the incidents happened due to political interference in the university affairs, which has probably handicapped the police force to maintain peace in the university.
The letter requested: “One FC Platoon should be deputed in Gomal University on emergency basis to curb miscreants and their unruly activities so as to normalise a peaceful conducive environment.”
