Punjab Study

Rawalpindi:March 02:An exchange of fire between two rival groups of students of the Government Postgraduate College Asghar Mall left a pedestrian dead while three others sustained serious wounds here on Thursday noon.

Outsiders supported their respective groups in the clash. The two rivals groups — Boxer and Rawat — belonged to the Muslim Students Federation-Nawaz (MSF-N), the students of the college told this correspondent. The dead body and the wounded students were shifted to the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) where one of them was stated to be in a critical condition.

Police have taken up the case but did not arrest anyone till filing of this report. The students, who witnessed the episode, said that the clash occurred over wall-chalking when rivals flew into rage after an exchange of harsh wards. The students said that the activists of both rival groups Thursday morning started wall-chalking in support of Boxer and Rawat groups on the outer wall of the college when they scuffled with each other over the dispute of a place on the wall close to the main gate. The eyewitnesses said that members of the two groups dispersed after hurling threats of dire consequences at each other.

According to eyewitnesses, both groups called their aides to settle their feud, adding that after sometime, their aides, equipped with firearms, reached the scene and opened fire at each other. A bullet hit a pedestrian, who was later identified as Mohammad Raees, son of Atiq-ur-Rehman, resident of Shakrial. Volunteers rushed him to the Holy Family Hospital, but he died in the operation theatre.

In the shooting, three students — Allahdad, son of Mohammad Suleman; Mobashar, son of Anwar Hussain, and Naveed, son of Asad — all belonging to the Boxer group, sustained bullet injuries. The shootout continued for more than twenty minutes creating fear among residents and shopkeepers, the eyewitnesses said. They added that some shopkeepers pulled shutters of their shops down to avoid any untoward situation, while traffic remained suspended for more than one hour on adjacent roads.

Police have taken up the case but have not registered a case against any group as the college administration has refused to lodge an FIR as a complainant, saying that the shooting incident occurred outside the premises of the college, police sources claimed. They added that the college administration has identified the students creating unrest in the college, but declined to provide any information to police as a complainant or a witness.The news.