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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Mutah University administration on Wednesday decided to impose punitive measures against a number of students found to have taken part in the recent riots and violence that erupted on campus.

A disciplinary panel that was formed to investigate the riots that took place in early April, which took the life of a 21-year old engineering student and injured others, recommended suspending 16 students found to take taken part in the riots.

Seven students were permanently expelled from the university, located in the southern governorate of Karak, and nine others were partially suspended, the university administration said on Wednesday, adding that a number of other students will also face punitive measures in the upcoming weeks.

The university stressed that the disciplinary body's decisions will be promptly carried out, stressing as well that the probe is neutral, accurate, and backed by solid evidence as it seeks to maintain a safe university environment and ward off any attempt to undermine the university as a key national and civilized institution.

The university added that the dismissal decisions will be irreversible.

Mutah University witnessed renewed clashes on Tuesday with clashing students using firearms and firing gunshots in the air, in a brawl reportedly related to a dispute between students from two different Karak tribes that started last week and prompted the university to suspend classes following a new episode of campus violence.

King Abdullah II on June 16 gave a speech during a graduation ceremony for a batch of Mutah University's Military wing students, highlighting the alarming rise of university violence and its implications on social unrest. 



Earlier in April, classes at Mutah were suspended for a week after a 21-year old student died and several others were injured in clashes between different tribes. 



The death of the engineering student, Osama Dheisat, provoked riots in his hometown of Faqou' in southern Karak.



A disciplinary panel investigating April's violence announced on Sunday that it will publish the names of students who took part in the violence, and determine penalties for those participating, Mu'tah University Dean of Student Affairs Ali Dmour said.





He told Petra that those found guilty face a stiff fine along with other punitive measures, stressing that the panel had not come under any pressures and pledged to "meet the higher interest of the university and its students and defend its distinguished reputation." 





Dmour said penalties would range from total or partial suspension of students, suspension of scholarships or aid for any students involved in on-campus violence, and repayment of all stipends a student had acquired before the punishment's enforcement.





Similar violence erupted in later in April at Al Hussein bin Talal University in the southern governorate of Maan, that left four people dead and dozens wounded when clashing students brought firearms to campus as clashes broke out on campus.