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Tue, Oct 15, 2024 | Rabi al-Thani 12, 1446 | DXB
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Pakistan college campus shut after students protest rape reports
A security guard identified online was taken into custody; police say no victim had come forward to file a complaint
Police personnel detain protesting students during a demonstration to condemn the alleged rape of a female student by a security guard inside the premises of a college in Lahore on Monday. — AFP
A college campus in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore was shut down on Monday by the provincial government after reports spread online that a student had been raped, sparking demonstrations.
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Hundreds of students protested on two campuses of the college on Monday after social media posts reported that a woman was raped at the college by a security guard.
The police in a press conference on Monday 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 on Thursday or Friday evening in a campus basement.
A security guard identified online was taken into custody by police.
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 college 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.
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