A 24-year-old girl from Sialkot tragically ended her life in Lahore for reasons that remain unknown. She was a fifth semester student at the Institute of Education and Research (IER).
The student was living in a university hostel with her sister. Before death, she told her sister that she had a headache and wanted to sleep in a separate room.
As per shared information, the student requested her sister to go to her friend’s room as she wanted to sleep alone in the room, aloted to these two sisters. Hours passed, from 2pm to 8pm, but she didn’t open the door or respond to phone calls.
The victim’s sister knocked the room door repeatedly, but there was no reply. She called the hostel management to help her to open the door. When attendants broke and opened the door, they found the student had died by hanging from the ceiling fan.
When the rescue team arrived, they confirmed that she had passed away a few hours earlier. The police began their investigation and transferred her body to the morgue. They are currently examining all aspects of the case. The victim’s family also arrived in Lahore to receive body from the morgue.
College incident
The day before this tragic incident, a college guard was arrested in connection with a rape case involving a first-year student from a private college in Gulberg. The suspect ran away after the incident’s video shared on social media.
On Monday, the college students staged a violent protest both within and outside the campus. The majority of the protesters gathered at Campus 10, with the protest extending to the Campus 16 near Hafeez Center, where students gathered. This led to clashes between the police and the students.
As per reports, several students were injured in the confrontation, with one sustaining serious injuries. Rescue 1122 transported the critically injured student to the Service Hospital on Jail Road. Other emergency vehicles also arrived at the scene to provide first aid.
The protest extended into Muslim Town, where students voiced their frustration with the administration and police for their handling of the incident. The protesters called for justice and greater transparency in the investigation.
While attempting to negotiate with the protesting students, the police confirmed that they were conducting an inquiry into the assault allegations. However, the students refused to trust the authorities and the college administration, accusing them of concealing the truth of the case.
According to some reports, a first-year girl student was allegedly raped by a security guard and a van driver in the basement of the college. This incident occurred during the lunch break when she accidentally got locked in the basement. Her screams and cries for help were eventually heard by a teacher, who found her in distress.
The accused security guard fled the scene after the incident, while the victim was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of nearby hospital. Some reports suggested that the guard had a ‘history’ of inappropriate behavior toward female staff members, raising concerns about safety on campus.
Students told media that the college administration was trying to cover up the truth under a layer of lies to protect the institution’s ‘reputation’. They alleged that the administration was pressuring students to remain silent about the incident. The students refused to remain silent and began protesting against the authorities.
Through placards and banners, the students declared that they would continue to protest until justice was served. Some media reports indicated that a large number of students from the private college along with peers from various colleges and universities are protesting outside the Campus 10, while some students were being forcibly locked inside by the administration.
Lahore police confirmed that a formal First Information Report (FIR) has not yet been registered, as the victim’s family has not submitted an official complaint. The two tragic incidents have left people in shock. The young girl who took her own life saw it as her last option, while the survivor of the assault by the college guard and van driver remains in the ICU, fighting for her life.
If the college student survives, she will have to carry the weight of this traumatic experience. Eventually, her parents may act as if this horrific event never occurred, but she will bear the burden of that trauma alone for the rest of her life. These incidents do not just destroy one life, they also deeply affected the lives of those close to the victims.