15 Hindu students from Pakistan's Punjab University injured after being stopped from celebrating Holi

At least 15 students from Pakistan's minority Hindu community were injured on Monday after members of a radical Islamic student organisation allegedly stopped them from celebrating Holi at the Punjab university premises in Lahore.

Holi, a festival of colours, is celebrated to mark the onset of spring.

The incident took place at the Law College of Punjab University on Monday, when around 30 Hindu students gathered to celebrate Holi.

“As students gathered at the lawns of the law college, the Islami Jamiat Tulba (IJT) activists forcibly stopped them from celebrating Holi, which led to a clash resulting in injuries to 15 Hindu students,” Kashif Brohi, a university student and an eyewitness told PTI. They had taken a prior permission from the university administration, Brohi claimed. Khet Kumar, who suffered injuries on his hand, said the university guards thrashed them when they held a demonstration outside the Vice-Chancellor office to protest the treatment meted out by IJT members.

“We have filed an application with the police against the IJT and the security guards involved in thrashing and torturing us, but FIR has not been registered as yet,” Kumar said.

When contacted by PTI, IJT (Punjab University) spokesperson Ibrahim Shahid denied the involvement of its students in the incident. “None of the students involved in a brawl with the Hindu students belong to the IJT,” he said and added the IJT organised 'Quran Reading' at the law college. Punjab University spokesman Khurram Shahzad told PTI that the varsity administration had not given permission to the hold Holi celebrations at the lawns of the law college. “There would not have been any problem had the celebrations were observed indoors,” he said.

Shahzad added the V-C has ordered inquiry into the matter.