Inter-college rivalry between two groups turned bloody on Tuesday with one group picking a couple of soft targets of the other group and beating them up in full public view in an MTC bus and later on Woods Road at Royapettah. While one of the assaulted students suffered multiple head injuries, another student of the rival group was arrested.
It all began after around 50 students of New College travelling on a bus in the morning spotted two students of a rival group from Nandanam Government Arts College - K Diwakar (third year BA Tamil) and his friend Sathish. They started beating them up on the bus itself. When the bus stopped at Woods Road, both got down to escape the assault. While Sathish managed to escape, the New College group too got down, surrounded Diwakar, and rained blows on him. He suffered injuries in his head and was later treated at the Government Royapettah Hospital.
The police stepped in and nabbed Sethu Yusuf, a third year Economics student at New College, was who was trying to flee. He was later remanded in judicial custody. The Woods Road assault occurred around 9.30 am when many people, including kids, were waiting at the bus stop on the busy road.
“Diwakar and Sathish picked up a quarrel with the New College group after which they were beaten up. Diwakar suffered three injuries in his head,” said inspector K Murugesan.
Two constables, who were on duty at a picket a few metres from the bus stop, sensed trouble and rushed to the spot. “We saw the students exchanging blows in the bus when it passed us. On seeing them get down at the bus stop, we started running towards them. Before we could reach the bus stop, Diwakar had been severely beaten up. They started fleeing as we neared the bus stop,” said a constable. After a few minutes chase, they managed to get hold Sethu Yusuf near the Royapettah clock tower.
“The two groups were already opposed to each other. There has been friction since the college reopened two months ago. The bigger group started assaulting a rival college student on seeing him alone,” police said.