Students baton-charged, 48 held in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: A peaceful, silent protest rally of students that started from near Markaz F-10 and proceeded to Jinnah Avenue, was baton-charged by police, who also arrested 48 students of them.
Talking to ‘The News’, Samad Khurram, one of the participants of the protest said, A silent protest was organised by students of different high schools of Islamabad. The students had pasted tapes on their mouths, but the police approached and asked students to stop. They complied and sat down.
Samad continued: Later students were asked to go back and they complied. It was while they were returning that 600-700 policemen, female police officers, anti-terrorist squad commandoes and plain clothed officers came saying they would arrest them as protest rally was not allowed. The police then started charging the students with batons and manhandled them. They pushed and dragged, abused and shoved students into police vans. Most of those arrested were class 9-12 students, while one of them was only a 12-year- old.
After they had arrested 48 students, some lawyers and human rights workers convinced the police not to arrest the rest. The students later went to the police station and negotiated for the release of their comrades. The police agreed to release them and made some of them give written assurance not to participate in future rallies or protests.
The arrests on Monday were the largest arrests of students so far. It was the first incidence of mass arrests of juveniles. They were arrested even after they agreed to disperse. Police was brutal towards minors as well. Forget the suspended Constitution, what happened to humanity?” said Samad.
Only male students were arrested and later released on bail, another participant of the protest Samar Abbas Kazmi said.
Source: The News
Date:11/13/2007
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