Fifteen Hindu students were injured in Punjab University, Islamabad, after they were attacked by extremists of the Islami Jamiat Tulba (IJT) on Monday for celebrating Holi on the campus. Reportedly, the university security guards also beat up the Hindu and Sindhi students instead of protecting them.

Videos shared on social media showed Hindu students being beaten up for celebrating the festival of colours on the PU campus.

Pakistani newspaper Dawn quoted Sindh Council general secretary Kashif Brohi as saying that members of the Hindu community and the Sindh Council had organised a Holi celebration after taking permission from the university. He added that IJT activists started hurling threats after the students posted an invitation for the Holi celebration on their Facebook page.

He said the IJT activists attacked them with guns and batons after which the students moved away without celebrating the event.

The students later protested outside the vice chancellor’s office when they were again attacked by the security guards who put a handful of students into their vans and did not allow them to speak with the VC.

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IJT spokesperson Ibrahim Shahid said that they did not stop the Hindu community members from celebrating Holi. He added that the security guards might have attacked the students but IJT had nothing to do with it.

This is the second incident of violence on university campuses in Islamabad. Last week Baloch students were attacked in ethnic clashes on the Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) campus for two days after which Islamabad’s top university was closed indefinitely.

Also read: Islamabad in the grip of violence as Baloch students attacked at top university