KOCHI: Around 20 people, including 10 lawyers, were injured in a clash between students of Maharaja’s College and members of the Ernakulam Bar Association near the district court complex in Kochi in the intervening night between Thursday and Friday. The police initially registered a case against 10 students. Later on Friday, another case was registered based on the students’ complaint.
The clash took place just after the association’s annual day celebration at its office compound on Thursday night. According to the police, the event concluded shortly after midnight, at which point a group of Maharaja’s students arrived at the venue.
“The event was intended exclusively for the association members and their families. During the cultural segment, the students were asked to leave, which triggered a confrontation. Soon after, a few students returned, some carrying sticks, leading to a scuffle,” said a police officer.
A team from the Ernakulam Central police station that soon rushed to the spot was also attacked, said the officer. “The injured persons were immediately shifted to the Ernakulam General Hospital and nearby private hospitals. Five lawyers have suffered serious injuries,” said the officer. They are Rajesh M A, Diljith, Emil, Jinu and Midhun. Of them, Rajesh is currently in the ICU of a private hospital in Ernakulam South, said the officer, adding that based on Rajesh’s complaint, the Ernakulam Central police have registered a case against 10 unidentified persons. “The injured students were discharged. We are identifying the students involved in the incident,” said the officer.
Anto Thomas, the president of the Ernakulam Bar Association, claimed the situation escalated when some students misbehaved with the members.
“Every year, students from the college dine with us on our annual day. This time too, we raised no objection when they had food. However, during the cultural programme, a few of them misbehaved with our members. We asked them to leave, but they returned with sticks about 15 minutes later.
They damaged the gate, vandalised the property and assaulted our members. Ten lawyers were injured, five of them seriously,” Anto said. Following an emergency general body meeting on Friday, the association decided to pursue legal action against those involved. “All injured lawyers will file individual complaints.
We expect at least 10 cases to be registered. We are committed to ensuring a fair and thorough investigation,” Anto said. Late on Friday, the police registered another case on the complaint of students. SFI district secretary Arjun T R alleged that the advocates blew cigarette smoke on the students’ faces, and this triggered the clashes. “It is not true that the students trespassed into the premises.
One of the students standing outside the college gate was assaulted by them. They attacked the SFI unit secretary when he tried to intervene,” alleged Arjun.
The police have also registered a case against 10 unidentified persons for attacking police officials. A number of police personnel have been deployed in the area to prevent any further violence. When contacted, Maharaja’s College principal Shajila Beevi said they had not received any complaints so far. “Since the incident occurred outside the college campus, we have not initiated any internal inquiry. It is not our responsibility to investigate matters that happen outside the college premises,” she said.