Students are injured in clashes with Pakistani police over reports of an on-campus rape

LAHORE, Pakistan -- More than two dozen college students were injured in clashes with Pakistani police over reports of an on-campus rape of a young woman, officials said Wednesday.

The students were hurt on Monday and Tuesday in the eastern city of Lahore in Punjab province after reports about the alleged rape spread on social media.

Students initially protested on the campus of the private college but later gathered outside the provincial assembly, where they clashed with police.

The college administration denied there was an assault, as did the young woman's parents.

Sexual violence against women is common in Pakistan but is underreported because of the stigma attached to it in the conservative country. Protests about sexual violence against women are uncommon.

A special committee formed by the provincial government said the alleged victim said she slipped at her home on Oct. 2 and was taken to a hospital, where she was treated until Oct. 11. It said the student was absent from college from Oct. 3 to 15.

The Federal Investigation Agency said it was looking into the case, including identifying people who spread the reports on social media.

Punjab's chief minister, the province's most senior official, said no rape had taken place.

Maryam Nawaz, who is the niece of the current prime minister and daughter of a former prime minister, asserted that a vile and dangerous plan was hatched to mislead students.

“An incident happened and a security guard was arrested and accused of being involved,” Nawaz told a press conference on Wednesday.

The Sustainable Social Development Organization said last month that there were 7,010 rape cases reported in Pakistan in 2023, almost 95% of them in Punjab.

“However, due to social stigmas in Pakistan that discourage women from getting help, there is a high chance that due to underreporting the actual number of cases may be even higher," it said.

This week's protests came less than a month after a woman said she was gang-raped when on duty during a polio vaccination drive in southern Sindh province.

Police arrested three men. Her husband threw her out of the house after the reported assault, saying she had tarnished the family name.