One killed in student-trader clash in Varanasi

An auto rickshaw puller was killed in a clash between students and traders in Varanasi.

An auto rickshaw puller was killed in a clash between students and traders in Varanasi on Friday.

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Trouble erupted in this ancient Hindu holy town after students of the local Uttar Pradesh Degree College in Shivpur locality refused to pay for the stuff they had bought from a local trader. When the trader protested, he was pushed away by the students.

However, a large number of traders soon collected in support of the man and a clash ensued. One of the students whipped out a gun and opened fire, killing an auto-rickshaw puller.

"Some students have been taken into custody while police have launched a hunt for the main culprits," Varanasi divisional commissioner Nitin Gokaran told IANS.

He maintained that the situation was "under control", even as reports said that some people tried to give the clash a communal colour.