ISLAMABAD: Reports have surfaced that female students are being harassed by security guards and suspected persons are being allowed to reside in the hostels of Islamic International University (IIUI) Islamabad in return for a “monthly” (bribe).
It is reported that suspected persons in large number are residing in the hostels of the university in connivance with the security guards. They pay Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 every month to the guards to stay in the hostels. There have also been reports of harassment of female students by the security guards. These guards also allegedly remain absent from duty and extort money from taxi drivers. Sources said the security guards and taxi drivers have struck a deal under which every taxi driver will pay Rs 50 to the security guards for every student he picks from the university.
Speaking the condition of anonymity, a security guard told that matters between the suspected persons and university senior officials are settled with regard to the former’s’ stay in the hostels. Whenever any suspected person is questioned, a telephone call comes from “high-ups” and he is let off. On the condition of not being named, a girl student told Daily Times that the security guards tease the girls in the name of security persistently. The girl students have to stay in the university from 9am to 5pm, and if any of them has to go home under emergency, she has to seek written permission from a security guard.
The security guard often asks indecent questions and makes advances at the girl students. If they leave the university without permission they have to face an inquiry by the university management. The girl students are suffering from extreme agony due to inhuman attitude of the security guards. A senior officer of the university told Daily Times that a report sent by the law enforcement agencies to the university authorities states that student wings of proscribed outfits are operating in the university hostels.
The persons in these wings are so-called students. The student wings are all set to activate their organizations. On the other hand, the university management has failed to curb the incidents of harassment of girl students by security guards, stopping suspected persons’ movements and keeping a check on student wings of banned outfits. When contacted, IIUI spokesman Professor Abid told Daily Times that no suspected person is residing in the hostels. He promised if reports are received of security guards harassing the girl students stern action will be taken against them. But no such complaint has been lodged with the university so far, he added.