Clashes erupt between student groups in BHU, several injured

Many vehicles on the university campus were torched and the students of two different hostels pelted stones at each other and at the cops who were called in to disperse the mob.

The situation is under control after night-long clashes between two student groups in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi -- the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- police said on Wednesday.

The rioting sparked off reportedly after a murderous attack on a student, Ashutosh Maurya, outside the Hindi department. (File photo)

The clashes erupted after midnight between the students residing in Lal Bahadur Shastri Hostel and Birla Hostel.

Many vehicles on the university campus were torched and the warring students pelted stones at each other and later also on the police personnel who were called in to disperse the mob.

The situation could only be controlled in the morning, but by then scores of students were injured.

“The situation is under control now,” Shailesh Mishra, PRO to the Varanasi SSP, told IANS.

A district official, however, blamed the BHU authorities for the violence and pointed out that although police reinforcements had reached there, they had to wait outside the Singhdwar due to the delay in permission by the varsity officials to enter the premises.

The rioting sparked off reportedly after a murderous attack on a student, Ashutosh Maurya, outside the Hindi department.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)