Clash between VIMSAR, MKCG MBBS students during college festival, 8 injured

Sambalpur: In a massive violent clash that soon turned into a battleground between students of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Burla and Maharaja Krishna Chandra Gajapati Medical College & Hospital in Brahmapur resulted in injuries of eight students on Tuesday.

Following this, the clash immediately went viral gaining attention from both media and the public prompting the authorities to enquire about the matter before taking any strict action against the attackers.

The clash came to light after a video went viral on social media showing the fight between the students of both the college on the VIMSAR campus. It looked as if the campus was a battleground in the video.

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In one video, a large group can be seen surrounding the bus carrying MKCG students and creating a huge ruckus. Another video showed students running helter-skelter after fire extinguishers were used at the site.

The fight took place during the inter-medical college sports and cultural festival “Euphoria” organised at VIMSAR which will continue till next 10th of July. First, the fight started with bullying from the moment the students of MKCG set foot from the bus which arrived at the campus.

The moment the bus arrived at the campus, the students of VIMSAR started abusing and creating a huge commotion surrounding the bus. In an act of retaliation, the MKCG students also began reacting to the opposition students. Soon, it escalated into an altercation among the students. The altercation that started verbally later turned into a fistfight which resulted in eight students being severely injured. The injured students are currently undergoing treatment at Burla Hospital

Later, the VIMSAR students threw plastic bottles, and stones at the bus and sprayed a fire extinguisher on the vehicle causing some MKCG students to have breathing issues. It is reported that nearly 10 students were hospitalised for a few hours with one among them still under treatment.

In response to the attack, an MKCG student told Odisha TV “This year, our students reached Burla for the inter-medical fest. When the bus reached the college, they were welcomed with a fire extinguisher. Fire-extinguisher gas was sprayed inside the bus when our students were inside it. Our Dean has taken measures to bring our students back. We have asked the authorities to take appropriate legal action."

What is more shocking is the fact that no security or police unit was contacted when the incident was turning violent at the campus and the fact that the authorities denied being aware of the incident.

Dean and principal of VIMSAR, Jayashree Dora told TNIE "The management is aware of the video clips doing the rounds but no complaints were received. We have not received any complaints regarding the issue yet. We will call students of both the institutions and conduct a thorough inquiry to ascertain about it."

Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Burla S Dash also said "No complaint has been lodged in connection with the incident. When we inquired, they denied having any conflict. If any student comes forward, we will definitely file a complaint,” he said.

Meanwhile, the principal of MKCG MCH Prof Santosh Kumar Mishra said "The reason behind the attack is unknown but 65 students of the college returned home. In the second batch, another 150 students are scheduled to participate in the festival but it is uncertain at this point. A meeting of teachers and students has been convened to arrive at a decision."