The event, which had begun on October 11 involving around a dozen institutes and was scheduled to continue till October 18, was abruptly cancelled on Tuesday following back-to-back incidents of violence. The week-long event had included sports, cultural shows, debates, quizzes and paper presentations, with a three-day cultural finale planned from October 16.
The trouble reportedly began on Monday evening during a basketball match between students of Vimsar, Burla and MKCG Medical College. A heated argument soon turned into a physical fight, disrupting the ongoing sports event.
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Further, another round of clashes erupted, but this time involving students from SCB Medical College, Cuttack, and MKCG, allegedly due to past rivalry between the two groups.
Two students from SCB and one from Vimsar were injured in the scuffle. The injured students from SCB were treated at the MKCG emergency ward before returning to Cuttack. They later filed a police complaint at the Baidyanathpur police station, alleging that MKCG students pelted stones at them and damaged their vehicle.
After the clashes broke out, the MKCG college authorities cancelled the event based on the advice of the Superintendent of Police, Berhampur.
Speaking in this regard to TOI, Berhampur SP, Saravana Vivek M said, "We have advised the college authorities not to allow the meet to continue under such volatile circumstances."
Following this, the students of MKCG staged a dharna outside the principal's office after being angry over the sudden cancellation. They argued that the cancellation was abrupt and unfair citing financial commitments to artists and event organisers, and the presence of participants from other colleges on the campus.
TOI sources said that over 100 SCB students arrived in Berhampur late Monday night for the event.
Confirming the cancellation, MKCG dean Dr Suchitra Dash called the incident "regrettable" and stressed the need to prevent such confrontations in future. She said the event may be rescheduled at a later date. Similarly, the SCB Medical College Council held an emergency meeting and resolved not to host or participate in future inter-college meets.
SCB students' union adviser Jayanta Kumar Panda said, "Around 130 of our students reached Berhampur by train around 9 pm on Monday. They were not picked up by the organisers until late at night contrary to the plan. Later, they were taken to the college in private buses and greeted with stone pelting. Our students fled and returned by whatever means they could."
This is not the first time such violence has disrupted the event. Last year, SCB had hosted the event when students of MKCG and SCB clashed. In 2023, MKCG had pulled out of the event hosted by Vimsar following a clash involving MKCG and Vimsar students. Nine students were then injured.
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