Intelligence agency official beaten for 'blackmailing a female student'

A man who claimed he served in an intelligence agency was beaten black and blue by the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK) students here on Thursday, allegedly for blackmailing a female student in connivance with a non-local academician.

Afterwards, the students brought the injured official to the office of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muzaffarabad Irfan Masood Kashfi, with his mobile phone and that of the victim as an evidence of their allegations.

Both the phones were handed over to the SSP “so that he could see for himself the obnoxious texts sent by the accused to the victim.”

The accused, when confronted by some media persons in one of the chambers of SSP’s office, claimed that he would visit the University for “verification of students for the scholarships.”

However, he could not offer a plausible reply when asked that in which capacity he was carrying out such a task.

Later, student leaders Zubair Ahmed Mir, Farooq Mir, Raja Asad Farooq, Mehtab Abbasi, Asim Kamran and Mahmood Ahmed Mir held a press conference on the issue and called for exemplary punishment to all those involved in the heinous act of blackmailing female students for carnal desires.

They alleged that the accused official in connivance with Mr Abdul Majeed Niazi, Director, Institute of Education, UAJK, started texting her from September 26 initially to facilitate her scholarship, while introducing himself as Captain Sheraz from an intelligence agency.

On Thursday morning, he arrived at the entrance of the UAJK’s City Campus and kept on pressing the girl through text messages to come out for a date with him, they said.  

As the victim had already shared her plight with a class representative (CR), dozens of infuriated students got hold of the accused on the main road outside the city campus and started beating him like anything, they added.

According to them, when the mobile of the accused was snatched, he claimed that it belonged to Mr Niazi, a resident of Mianwali appointed in the UAJK under Tenure Track System more than two years ago.

The student leaders further claimed that when they were bringing the accused to the SSP office, he begged them to let him go and in return he would share details about the network that blackmailed the female students.

Initially apprehensive of police, the student leaders however praised them at the press conference for their “positive attitude and cooperation.”

In the afternoon, the victim also recorded her statement before Deputy Commissioner Masoodur Rehman, wherein she reportedly said that she was being blackmailed by the agency official and the UAJK director.

When contacted, SSP Kashfi told this scribe late in the evening that since the accused claimed himself to be an employee of an intelligence agency, he had been handed over to them for trial by a military court.

“We have recorded evidence and statements of all concerned and the same has also been provided to the concerned military authorities for further action under the law,” he said. 

He said due to the alleged involvement of a UAJK director in this case, the police had also taken Vice Chancellor Dr Syed Dilnawaz Ahmed Gardezi on board, and the latter had committed to hold an internal inquiry by October 20.

 Earlier in the day, a UAJK spokesman said that the Vice Chancellor had taken serious notice of the brawl between the students and an “outsider” outside the city campus and formed a committee to hold impartial and independent investigations and submit its report at the earliest.

The committee is headed by dean faculty of science and engineering Prof Dr Mohammad Rustam Khan and includes dean faculty of arts Prof Dr Nadeem Haider Bukhari, director students’ affairs Prof Amir Farooq and his predecessor Prof Ikram ur Rasheed and coordinator BS (education) programme Prof Siddique Awan.   

“The Vice Chancellor has made it clear that no one can be allowed to vitiate the academic environment of the sacred institution and that stern action will be taken in case any varsity official was found guilty,” the spokesman said.

Tariq Naqash