KARACHI - Thousands of students belonging to the Karachi University on Wednesday had to suffer immense hardship as the employees of KU transport department stopped providing bus service to them in protest against beating of a bus driver of the varsity. As per details, some students of the zoology department severely tortured KU bus driver, Nazir, who was a heart patient. However, an employee of the zoology department, Hameed, was also allegedly involved in beating the driver. Later, dozens of transport employees gathered at the zoology department with wooden and iron rods to take revenge but Hameed and his companions (students) escaped the scene. According to sources, the students involved in the incident were members of a student organisation. It is pertinent to mention here that KU is facing lack of transport facilities as only 27 point-buses are available at the campus to provide ferry over 26,000 students of the University belonging to various parts of the City. KU Campus Officer, Dr Khalid Iraqi, while taking to The Nation, confirmed that some students badly tortured the bus driver, Nazir, in collaboration with an employee of the university. He said the victim was manhandled 20 days ago at Wireless Gate for not stopping his bus there. "On the complaint from Nazir, KU administration has filed a case against unidentified persons. An old dispute between Nazir and Hameed, a lab attendant of zoology department, was also a cause of this incident. However, the injured driver was taken to the KU clinic for medical treatment where his condition is out of danger", he said. Dr Iraqi further said the university was facing shortage of funds worth Rs 2 million required to improve its transport system while about 50 per cent of students usually travelled through KU point-buses without tickets. Meanwhile, KU Transport Committee In-charge, Dr Zulqarnain Shadab, said it was not possible to provide transport facility to over 24,000 students of the University who came from various parts of the city. "The University provides a limited transport facility to its students. Schedule of point-buses, that provide pick and drop facility to the students at highly subsidised fare, is announced at the beginning of each semester," he was quoted as saying on the university's website.