A clash broke out between junior and senior students at the Motihari College of Engineering in Bihar on Saturday, leaving several students reportedly injured, officials said. The dispute began on Friday night over the bursting of firecrackers near the junior students' hostel and escalated into violence that created tension across the campus, news agency IANS reported.

Source: IANS via Hi India

According to officials, some students were bursting firecrackers near the junior hostel on Friday night while fourth-semester students, who were preparing for or sitting examinations, objected to the noise. The argument escalated into physical assault and vandalism; both sides have accused each other of assault. The exact number and severity of the injuries had not been officially confirmed at the time of reporting, Nation Press reported in its account of the incident.

Source: Nation Press

Friday nightWhen the firecracker dispute began near the junior hostel
SaturdayWhen the clash left several students reportedly injured
FIR orderedSP Swarn Prabhat directs registration of a case
SDM + DSPOfficers tasked with the inquiry, including the administration's role

Police were called to the campus on Friday night, and a team led by Probationary DSP Abhishek Kumar and Mufassil police station SHO Amit Kumar, accompanied by armed personnel, reached the college and brought the situation under control. The police called students from both groups to a conference hall, heard their grievances and counselled them to maintain peace, and warned that anyone attempting to disturb the peace or escalate the dispute would face legal action.

Principal says it was a student dispute, not ragging; juniors sent home

College Principal Prof. Navneet Kumar said the incident was a dispute between students and did not involve ragging, and that the students had been pacified. The junior students were sent home and the hostel was vacated. Superintendent of Police Swarn Prabhat said orders had been issued to register an FIR and that the incident would be investigated by the Sadar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and the DSP, with the role of the college administration also to be examined and action to follow if negligence is found. The situation on the campus is currently calm, with police keeping a close watch.