Student protests at Zagazig University subsided on Tuesday, a day after demonstrations erupted following the death of Rowan Nasser, a fourth-year science student who fell from the Faculty of Science building. The circumstances of her death are under investigation.
University president Khaled El-Darandaly told Al Manassa the protests, which called for justice for Nasser, had subsided. "Exams will proceed on schedule, and no students have been barred from attending," he said.
On Tuesday, students held demonstrations in front of the university president's office, holding signs that read "Rowan deserves justice." Preliminary investigations indicated she fell from the fourth floor of the building.
Rowan's father, Nasser Ahmed, told the independent news outlet Saheeh Masr that one of his daughter's classmates, a student at the Faculty of Engineering, was present at the scene and attempted to help her. The student reportedly called Rowan's mother after inserting her SIM card into his own phone, as he could not unlock her device.
The classmate, who accompanied her in the ambulance, told the family that "she fell, her hair was uncovered, and her eye was bruised and swollen." When the family collected her body for burial, all his descriptions proved accurate.
"She lay bleeding for 30 minutes with no help, and the dean prevented anyone from aiding her," her father said.
El-Darandaly dismissed claims that Gamal Abd El Aziz, dean of the Faculty of Science, had been taken into custody. "He remains in his post and is carrying out his duties," he told Al Manassa.
The arrest rumor spread on social media after Rowan's family lawyer Nabih Al-Wahsh shared it in a Facebook post. Speaking to Al Manassa, Al-Wahsh admitted he had not verified the information and had merely reposted it from another news outlet.
According to Saheeh Masr, Abd El Aziz and 13 other faculty members were referred to a disciplinary council around two weeks before Nasser’s death.
The Ministry of Interior received a report from Zagazig University Hospital on Sunday confirming the arrival of a deceased student identified as Rowan Nasser, 22, enrolled in the Faculty of Science.
Rowan's body was held at the hospital morgue under the prosecution's orders pending further investigation.
Surveillance footage from the university has been seized as part of the inquiry, according to El-Darandaly.
