KARACHI:
The Institute of Business Management remained closed Tuesday for the second consecutive day after the student organization continued its protests against the expulsion of a student by the administration who claimed she was harassed by university staff. The protest began on Monday, leading to the suspension of physical classes, but online classes took place,
A wave of student backlash and a campaign against the administration’s decision gained traction on social media, eventually forcing IoBM to reverse its decision and reinstate the student. Confirmation of the administration’s revised decision was given to Express by the university spokesperson, who also mentioned that “IoBM will reopen for regular classes from Wednesday.”
It is worth mentioning that the IoBM administration changed its controversial decision regarding the expulsion of the student three times in just a few days. Initially, the student was expelled for “misconduct” with the administration. Shortly thereafter, IoBM withdrew the expulsion order and suspended the student for one semester. However, as the public backlash continued, on Monday a third and final decision was announced, overturning the previous two and granting the student permission to immediately return to classes.
Read: IOBM expels, reinstates student after undergraduates protest university’s mishandling of harassment allegations
The problem began when the student alleged she encountered inappropriate behavior from an individual associated with the transportation department. The student filed a complaint with the university’s human resources department regarding the incident and in the meantime, her family also arrived and joined the protest. However, instead of taking action against the employee involved, the IoBM took disciplinary action against the student, canceling her admission.
The matter surfaced on social media, sparking outrage and prompting calls from students to protest the administration’s actions. In response, the university suspended on-campus classes to deal with the situation. Despite this, students still gathered in front of the administration building. Faced with increasing pressure, the IoBM reinstated the student. Furthermore, he stated that the services of the employee in question had been terminated. The university spokesperson said the employee in question was not a direct member of university staff but worked under contract with a third party.
When Express asked which of its three decisions the university would justify, the spokesperson stressed that “IoBM has a comprehensive anti-harassment policy and it is fully implemented.”
