By Stephen Asante, GNA
Kumasi, Oct. 22, GNA - Academic and commercial activities at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), were on Monday (October 22, 2018) halted temporarily, following a violent protest by some of the students.
The placards-wielding students, clad in red and black, went on the rampage soon after embarking on a peaceful demonstration on the University campus.
The rampaging students smashed louvres, billboards, security barricades and windscreens of parked vehicles.
But for the timely intervention of a police reinforcement team from the Ashanti Regional Police Command, many more damage could have been done as the teeming protestors decided to destroy everything on sight.
Eighteen (18) students, including two females, whose names were not readily available, were arrested for wanton destruction of property and all placed in police custody.
Nana Yaw Addison, an Executive Member of the KNUST Students’ Representative Council (SRC), speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Kumasi, called for restraint amongst the students.
The Council, he said, has presented a petition to the University Council to probe what they described as ‘administrative-instigated brutalities’ meted out to some students of the University Hall (Katanga) last Friday, which is believed to have sparked the violent protest.
Eleven students of the Hall were allegedly beaten mercilessly and put in custody by the KNUST Police in the said incident as they embarked on one of their usual procession dubbed “Moral”.
Mr Stephen Otoo, an alumnus of the Hall, invited to witness the procession was said to have sustained body injuries after he was assaulted by some personnel of the KNUST Security Unit.
He was rushed to the University Hospital for treatment.
Professor William Gariba, Dean of Students, KNUST, told the GNA that the University was shocked and disappointed at the turn of events, saying the authorities were holding an emergency meeting to decide on the next line of action.
Calm had since been restored and there is heavy police presence to prevent further destruction of property.
GNA
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS