Narayana students in ragging row

23 Oct 2008, 0306 hrs IST, TNN

HYDERABAD: An alleged ragging incident led to a clash between two student groups of Narayana Junior College
, Dilsukhnagar, on Wednesday.
Trouble began when an MPC first year student was allegedly beaten up by a second year student on Wednesday. The student had come early to college for special classes when he was stalked by the senior and beaten up in public. While the former belonged to National Students Union of India (NSUI), the senior was from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad camp.

According to the Malakpet police, Wednesday's incident was related to an earlier tiff between the two student organisations. Two NSUI activists Chinnu (20) and Manikanta (21) had allegedly ragged a first year student who was an ABVP member on October 18 and snatched his mobile.

"The student complained to the zonal in-charge of Narayana Junior College and the matter was settled in the college itself with the intervention of police on October 20. But in Wednesday's incident, students wanted to settle scores," Malakpet inspector of police N Ravi Kumar told TOI. By 9.30 am, there was palpable tension in the air with the two students, who were involved in the brawl, calling up their respective organisation heads. The ABVP students raked up the issue of the mobile phone snatching incident and wanted police to arrest NSUI activists who allegedly 'ragged' the outfit's activist on October 18.

"Police did not arrest those who ragged the I year students whereas the ragging act facilitates arrest and booking of case based on the victim's statement," an MPC first year student and ABVP activist Vishnuvardhan Reddy told TOI.

The NSUI students who came to the police station by 10 am clashed with their ABVP counterparts before the Malakpet police. The clashes and dharna continued till 1 pm till police accepted a complaint from the ABVP leaders demanding action on the basis of Prevention of Ragging Act.

Meanwhile, the first year student, who was beaten up on Wednesday, started a protest at Narayana Junior College First year students' campus, Dilsukhnagar with all 900 students boycotting classes and shouting slogans on their way to the police station where they continued the protest. The NSUI protest went on till 3.30 pm with police accepting a complaint from NSUI too. Police personnel were stationed at all five Narayana Colleges in Dilsukhnagar to prevent clashes.

Police also booked cases under sections 143 (being a member of unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC against students of both parties.