Videos of a dispute between two groups of students at a college in Amritsar went viral on Saturday, highlighting a fight between students from Bihar and Kashmir that took place on Wednesday and later broke out again.
The videos showed students identified as from Bihar raising slogans against Kashmiri students outside their hostel at Khalsa College of Engineering and Technology on Ranjit Road. These videos, shot by Kashmiri students, were shared among others by AAP MLA Maharaj Malik from Doda, J&K.
Police said some students sustained minor injuries on Wednesday.
“Initially, there was a dispute between students, which was resolved. Now, some students are seeking action against some teachers. Now, this issue is at the college administration level,” said Robin Hans, Ranjit Avenue police station officer.
After the videos went viral on social media, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigation) Jagjit Singh Walia on Saturday visited the campus of the college, which is managed by the Khalsa College Governing Council (KKGC).
From inside the campus, he posted a message: “The college atmosphere is calm and peaceful. Studies are continuing without any interruption. The incident happened on Wednesday night. There is no tension in the college now. However, we see that rumors are spreading through social media and videos are also being circulated. The community should not be affected by these rumours.”
What was the fight about?
Police sources told HT that the incident started in the hostel chaos over a minor language-related dispute between students from Kashmir and Bihar.
The verbal exchange quickly turned physical, as members of both groups confronted each other and engaged in a fight on campus. The injured students were transferred to nearby hospitals for treatment.
The situation caused panic on campus, prompting the police to come and restore order. Officials said security measures were tightened following the clash.
The college authorities initially managed to calm tensions, but the situation flared up again after some Bihari students claimed that a faculty member had slapped one of them. Three students sustained minor injuries and were treated.
Investigation on
The college authorities said the administration resolved the dispute and took disciplinary action by expelling all participating students from the hostel for six months, though they would still be allowed to take exams.
The college reportedly recommended action against the faculty member following the complaints.
Police officials confirmed that the statements of all parties have been recorded and an investigation is underway.
CCTV footage from the campus is being reviewed to determine the sequence of events and identify those involved. Preliminary results indicate that the clash may have stemmed from a previous dispute between the two groups.
