The closure of the University of Peshawar and all the educational institutions situated on the campus ought to be taken as a serious warning about the manner in which the country’s youth is splitting along ideological, ethnic and other faultlines.

The closure was announced on Friday after violence broke out following the death of a student, Adnan Abdul Qadir, who died after being severely beaten by members of the Islami Jamiat Talaba. Upon hearing of Qadir’s death, members of the Pakhtun Students Federation and the Bannu Students Federation launched protests against the IJT which, unsurprisingly, turned violent and ended with protesters smashing their way into the rooms of the students nominated in the case and damaging university property.

Such loss of control on the part of supposedly educated university students is certainly a cause for concern. But more shocking is the reason why Qadir was attacked: he had been playing music inside his hostel room. The case is indicative not only of the manner in which increasingly extremist rightwing groups are consolidating their self-appointed position as ‘guardians’ of their peers’ morality, but also of the general citizenry’s frustration with this state of affairs. It does not help that in such incidents of harassment, the state and other authorities are seen as doing little. Cases of intimidation, both minor and severe, on university campuses across the country are common, after all. And the IJT has over the decades emerged as a powerful and increasingly violent rightwing body operating in this sphere.

If measures are not taken to arrest this trend, it could spell disaster for the future. Arguably, Qadir’s peers would not have resorted to such unbridled rage had they had the confidence that his assailants would be brought to book. The police charged nine IJT students for the initial assault, and reportedly a murder case has also been registered after Qadir’s death. All the persons nominated are absconding, though; if justice is not served, this will be taken as further evidence that citizens have no method other than violent agitation of airing their resentment against intimidation and harassment.