FIA forms committee to probe ‘disinformation’ on alleged Lahore college rape

LAHORE: A probe has been initiated to investigate “disinformation on social media” regarding an alleged rape of a student at the Punjab College campus in Lahore.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has constituted a seven-member committee after the girl’s family and the college administration have requested to lodge cases under the cybercrime law.

Protests broke out in Lahore on Monday after reports emerged that a female student of 11th grade was allegedly raped by a security guard of Punjab College’s Gulberg campus. Police action to disperse the protesters left several students injured.

The seven-member team, led by Deputy Director Cyber Crime Lahore Waqas Saeed, will identify individuals who were involved in spreading disinformation on social media.

Earlier, the Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz also formed a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the incident, which found that the reports of alleged rape were “fake” and blamed social media misinformation for inciting violent protests.

The six-member committee was headed by the Punjab chief secretary and comprised of the home secretary, advocate general Punjab, secretary of higher education, and secretary of specialized healthcare.

As per reports, the committee summoned and recorded the statements of police officials, the college principal, the Punjab Group of Colleges director, around 28 students, and the security guard who was arrested by police as a prime suspect on Monday.