Security has been tightened in and around the college; college cancels the annual festival
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – A clash broke out between two student groups from different communities after a controversial song ‘Bharat ka Baccha Baccha Jai Shri Ram Bolega’ (Every Indian child will chant Jai Shri Ram) was played during the rehearsal of an annual festival at Gurunanak Engineering College in Karnataka’s Bidar district on Wednesday.
The clash occurred when some Muslim students raised objections to the song. Two students were injured during the clash and 23 were booked.
A video of the clash showing a crowd of students clashing with each other inside the campus has surfaced on social media.
In a complaint, Mahmud Anas, a first-year student at GND College, said that he was attacked by five to six persons. Anas stated that he was suspected of creating a disturbance during the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chant and was subsequently assaulted with fists and a sword. The police have filed a case under IPC sections 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 323, 324, and 149.
In a counter-complaint filed against 18 students, Nataraj Sheet said the conflict began after the song was played, leading to him being assaulted by a group of over 30 students, who allegedly hit him with a sword, causing severe injuries. The police have registered a case against Nataraj under IPC sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object).
Talking to reporters about the incident, Bidar Deputy Commissioner Govind Reddy said that the Guru Nanak Dev Degree College was planning to organise a youth festival on May 31 and the students arranged a ‘practice session’ on Wednesday.
During the rehearsal, two actors raised the slogan ‘Jai Sri Ram’ which was part of the play. This was objected to by the students of another community and two of them attacked the students who had raised the slogan. Meanwhile, the students of both communities started quarrelling on campus.
The police immediately rushed to the spot and separated the two groups. The situation was fully under control and there was no need to impose prohibitory orders. Police security has been tightened in and around the college, Deputy Commissioner Reddy said.