KARACHI:
The Institute of Business Management remained closed for the second consecutive day on Tuesday after the student organization continued its protests against the administration’s expulsion of a female student who had claimed to have been harassed by university staff. The protest began on Monday causing the suspension of physical classes, however, online classes were held.
A wave of student backlash and a campaign against the administration’s decision gained traction on social media, ultimately forcing IoBM to reverse its decision and reinstate the student. Confirmation of the administration’s revised decision was given to Express by the university spokesperson, who also mentioned that “IoBM will reopen its doors for regular classes starting Wednesday.”
It is worth mentioning that the IoBM administration changed its controversial decision on the student’s expulsion three times in just a few days. The student was initially expelled for allegedly “misbehaving” with the administration. Shortly thereafter, IoBM withdrew the expulsion order and instead suspended the student for one semester. However, as the public backlash continued, a third and final decision was announced on Monday, reversing the previous two and granting the student permission to immediately resume classes.
Read: IOBM expels and reinstates student after students protest university’s mishandling of harassment allegations
The issue began when the student alleged she faced inappropriate behavior from an individual associated with the transportation department. The student filed a complaint with the university’s Human Resources Department about the incident and in the meantime, her family also arrived and joined the protest. However, instead of taking action against the employee involved, IoBM took disciplinary action against the student, canceling her admission.
The issue emerged on social media, sparking outrage and prompting student calls for protests against the administration’s actions. In response, the university suspended on-campus classes to address the situation. Despite this, the students still gathered outside the administration building. With mounting pressure, IoBM reinstated the student. He further stated that the services of the employee in question had been terminated. The university spokesperson mentioned that the employee in question was not a direct member of the university staff, but rather worked under contract with a third party.
When Express asked which of its three decisions the university would justify, the spokesperson emphasized that “IoBM has a comprehensive anti-harassment policy and it is fully implemented.”
