JAMSHORO:
A clash between two groups of Sindh University students during semester exams left one student shot and eight others injured in campus violence on Saturday.
According to university sources, the confrontation broke out when students from rival groups came out after sitting for their exams and exchanged heated remarks, which quickly escalated into a violent clash outside the Faculty of Arts.
The dispute is believed to be the result of a long-standing rivalry between the groups.
During the clashes, aerial firing was also reported, causing panic in neighboring areas and university hostels. A stray bullet hit a third-year BBA student, Azhar Shah, who had arrived at the scene after hearing about the altercation. He was shifted to Liaquat Medical Teaching Hospital in Jamshoro for treatment.
Meanwhile, eight other students were lightly injured when the two groups attacked each other with sticks, iron bars and bricks. The situation remained tense for several hours, with the university resembling a battlefield.
Police rushed to the scene after receiving information, after which the students dispersed. However, soon after, angry students set fire to two rooms of the Lal Shahbaz Boys Hostel. The fire ravaged the rooms before rescue teams were able to bring it under control.
Campus security officer Rafiq Brohi said a case would be registered at Jamshoro police station against those involved in the encounter.
Sources said the incident involved two factions of the Sindh People’s Students’ Federation (SPSF), which were allegedly supported by some nationalist students.
However, Halar Jamali, president of SPSF University Sindh, condemned the incident in a video statement and denied the organization’s involvement, saying attempts were being made to wrongly attribute the clash to the SPSF. He said the group has always opposed guns on campus.
