A day after Islamia University Bahawalpur’s vice chancellor said that allegations of drug possession and filming of obscene videos were a campaign against the university, the Punjab police has denied any bias in its treatment of the scandal.

Horrifying reports had suggested that 400 ‘obscene’ videoshad been found by the police in the mobile phones of university officials arrested for drug posession.

A statement from the DPO said that the three university officials who had been arrested were accused of drug possession and a judicial or divisional inquiry could confirm their claim.

The DPO added that 113 students were also found to be linked with the drug scandal.

The police also added that the obscene videos were recorded as the university officials asked for ‘favours’ in return for giving women passing marks.

However, the police said it was acting on the basis of items it had receovered from the possession of the arrested people. Police added that no sexual harassment cases had been filed so far so police was not investigating that angle.

Probe committees

Meanwhile, Punjab’s caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has constituted a three-member committee to investigate the scandal. The committee the IG< the DIG and secretary mines and minerals.

The committee will ascertain who is responsible for the incident and present a report to the CM.

Another committee has been formed by the education department including the Director of Public Colleges Dr Fareed Shareef, Dean of Faculty of Engineering Dr Muhammad Amjad, Director of the Institute of Physics IUB Dr Saeed Muhammad Buzdar and Additional Registrar Litigation Muhammad Bilal Arshad.

The committee will submit its findings to the secretary of the education department.

“The incidents of female student exploitation at a university are one of many examples of lack luster mechanisms present for female/male students to protect themselves from blackmailing,” Salman Sufi, the head of PM’s Strategic Reforms Unit, tweeted.

He vowed that no leniency would be shown to the perpetrators and a broader policy shift would be launched.