An online video of a Qassim Badri, the head of a department at Ahfad University for women, a prestigious university in Sudan, showing him slapping one student and beating one other has gone viral.
This was caused on Wednesday by a protest at the university against the extortionately high prices of food items being sold by the school’s caterer to students. When the dean went to speak to some of the protestors a student allegedly kicked him causing him to beat the pupil.
The video was uploaded by activists to social media networks and sparked outrage as people commented. Amal Habbani, a women’s rights activist wrote:
“Qassim Badri must apologise in a press conference and clarify what exactly happened. This campaign is also an attempt to create awareness about violence against women.”
However, Balkis Badri a family member of the dean said “The video tells only one side of the story.
“The incident occurred when the dean approached the students to talk to them as some protesters called for setting University buildings on fire.
“He was trying to calm them down when one student who had a stone in her hand kicked him.
It was this student he went after and beat her. He later apologised to her and even kissed her head but the video does not show this.”
She continued, “He even told the students to stop eating from the cafeteria if it was too expensive the university does not own the eatery.”
The Badri name is a prominent name in Sudan. They garnered respect both at home and internationally for starting the first private school for girls before starting Ahfdad Universty for girls.
The incident is alongside dotted riots popping up in Sudan for the soaring prices of bread and other food items. On Sunday, a student was killed in a protest in Darfur.