A student protest turned tense on Monday after a clash between protesters and a uniformed official at Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology (SUSIT) in Islamabad.

The incident took place at the university’s Chattha Bakhtawar campus, where students had been protesting against the dismissal of a senior university official and other issues concerning the institution.

A video circulating widely on social media showed a uniformed man approaching a group of students, reportedly university students, accompanied by a woman said to be a university official.

The footage showed the man hitting one individual with a stick before exchanging heated words with the protesters. A scuffle then breaks out, with members of the crowd surrounding the official and appearing to assault him.

The man subsequently draws a pistol and points it towards the crowd. The woman accompanying him appears to attempt to stop him, after which he raises the weapon into the air and fires a shot. Several police officers then approach and surround the uniformed man before escorting him from the university premises.

In another video, a senior Islamabad police official can be seen addressing students and assuring them that the official would face strict and swift action.