Last week, reports related to the alleged rape of a student of the private college went viral on social media, prompting the police to arrest a security guard at the private college on the allegation of his involvement in the incident.

Enraged by the alleged rape incident, students took to the streets and staged protests outside different colleges in Lahore. On Monday, at least 28 were injured due to clashes with the security guards of the college and police.

Commenting on the incident, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz declared the alleged rape as “fabricated news”, and blamed the PTI for spreading the “fake reports” on social media.

Also Punjab Group of Colleges (PGC) group Director Agha Tahir and other office-holders have termed the incident “baseless”.

A notification issued by the Punjab Higher Education Department confirms that all schools, colleges and universities will remain closed on October 18 across the province.

As per the notification, the holiday was announced to prevent any unrest among students, following instructions from the Punjab Home Department to ensure the safety and security of educational institutions.