Officials at a high school in Lahore, Pakistan, said today that there is no evidence that a female student was raped at the school, as news websites reported in the past few days, prompting a wave of protests in the city.

Since yesterday Monday, hundreds of students have mobilized and taken to the streets of Lahore after messages were posted on social networking sites several days ago that a student was raped in the basement of a girls’ high school.

“The event is non-existent. I would have submitted my resignation, I would have left this profession and I would have gone to protest alongside the students if it had happened,” said Arif Chaudhary, a high school official, today. Another official of the same institution, Agha Tahir Ijaz, urged students “not to believe misinformation”.

The high school is closed until further notice.

Police arrested a security guard whose name appeared in many of the messages, but said no victims had come forward and it was therefore impossible to say if or what happened.

Protesters are concerned about the harassment of young girls in schools and are calling for concrete measures to combat sexual harassment in Pakistan.

The protests started on Monday from the high school in question and extended yesterday and today to many others. There were also clashes between police and students.

Maryam Sharif, the head of the local government, warned that those who posted about the gang-rape at the school would be “punished”.