Quetta:
Balochistan police staged baton charges to try to disperse protesting students gathered outside the Governor House in Quetta city.
Earlier in the afternoon on 23 September, a large number of students attended a protest organized by Medical Entry Test Committee in Quetta to protest against the method used to conduct entrance exams by the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC). The protest was a part of a series of demonstrations that have erupted across the country against the PMC.
This comes as students who had appeared through the entrance exam process alleged irregularities in the marks of candidates.
The students held signs calling for more support for their demands.
The protesting students said they are facing uncertainly over their situation and called on the provincial government to intervene in this matter to help introduce a more appropriate exam system.
Later in the evening, the protesters staged a peaceful sit-in protest outside the Governor House in support of their demands.
Instead of reaching out to the protesting students, the authorities ordered the police to baton charge the students in an attempt to disperse them.
According to the Baloch Students Organization (BSO), many of the protestors were arrested and detained by the Police. The injured students were taken to the Civil Hospital Quetta, tweeted BSO.
The Police in Quetta has been in the news for using excessive force against peaceful demonstrators in the past. Various students organizations have taken to social media to denounce the provincial authorities, particularly the Quetta police for their excessive use of force against students who present no threat of violence.