[Reader-list] 'Student hurt in KMC clash, fest called off'

[Space]

Dear all,
Indian campuses are infested with a culture of violence, and pasted
below is an example of what can happen when such a culture goes
unchecked. Surprisingly, this overdose of hormonal actions is too
often romanticised as a part and parcel of student life by most of us,
and of course by Hindi movies. I came to know of this incident at KMC
yesterday, and to most of us passing it around as gossip, it was
little other than amusing gossip.

o o o 
 
Student hurt in KMC clash, fest called off 

Express News Service 
New Delhi, February 15:
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=117876

Four persons, including a student of Kirori Mal College, were
seriously hurt while a dozen others received minor injuries in a fight
between two groups of students at the campus on Tuesday.

The three-day KMC fest, Renaissance, which began yesterday, was called
off. Police have filed a cross-case of rioting and assault on
complaints from the two sides.

Trouble started last evening when three boys from the nearby
Chandrawal Nagar area, (Kamal, Jitender and Kapil), came to the
college, allegedly in a drunk state, and misbehaved with a woman
student. The three were allegedly beaten up by some KMC students.
Police was called in to control the situation. The three were taken to
hospital and discharged after first-aid. They, in turn, alleged that
KMC students had misbehaved with a girl in their area. No case was
filed.

This morning, around 25-30 men from Chandrawal, led by DUSU joint
secretary Gaurav Khari, went to Maurice Nagar police station and
demanded that a case be registered against the KMC students. The group
then headed for the college. Police said they were armed with swords,
iron rods and lathis.

At the college, the group started tearing down the fest banners. A
fight followed when they were confronted by some students and
hostellers. ''The campus resembled a warzone as sticks, rods, buckets,
utensils and stones rained from both sides,'' sources said.

All senior officers of the north district rushed to the spot and
additional force had to be called. Many shops in the nearby market
were asked to down shutters, fearing further violence.

KMC principal, Prof Bhimsen Singh, along with senior officers later
took a round of the campus. Singh said: ''The fest has been called off
as the situation is not stable.'' Singh said he had asked the area DCP
to take action against those involved, including his students.

DUSU president Narender Tokas has blamed Khari and his associates for
the incident. Khari's brother Rohit, however, said the group was
provoked: ''Gaurav and his supporters had gone to the police station
to meet the SHO from where they were directed to KMC as the SHO had
gone there. They were attacked by the students at the college.''