Engg students injured in clash with bandh supporters

GAYA: One dozen students of the Gaya Engineering College were injured in a violent clash with bandh supporters near Barki Payen village under the Buniadganj police station of the district on Tuesday morning. As the engineering students insisted on going to the college in defiance of the bandh call given by several political parties including RJD, LJP and the Left parties, bandh supporters, mostly villagers of Barki Payen, attacked them with lathis and indulged in heavy stone pelting resulting in injury to one dozen students.
Nine of the injured students have been admitted to Anugrah Narain Magadh Medical College Hospital (ANMMCH). According to ANMMCH superintendent Dr Shiva Kumari Paswan, three injured students have been admitted to the orthopaedic ward, five in the surgery ward and one in the eye ward.
Three of the seriously injured students were subsequently referred to the PMCH for specialized treatment as they needed neurological intervention. According to the hospital superintendent, the six students currently undergoing treatment, were stable and out of danger. Three others were discharged from the Khizarsarai PHC after first aid.
The three seriously injured students referred to the PMCH have been identified as Suman Saurabh, Ashwini Kumar and Rohan Kumar, said the engineering college OSD, Anil Kumar. The other injured are Ayush Mani, Md Firoz Alam, Gopal Prasad, Hari Om, Rakesh Kumar, Shailendra Kumar, Shubham Kumar Sinha, Rohan Kumar and Gautam Kumar.
According to engineering college OSD, the attack on the students was pre-planned and it had little to do with the bandh. He said there had been a clash between some students and a three-wheeler driver belonging to the village on the issue of fair about a week back and the supporters of the driver abducted two of the students who were subsequently rescued. A case was also instituted in this connection in the local police station, said the OSD.
Confirming the incident, the Gaya SP Amit Lodha said that no arrest so far been made in this connection. "A manhunt to arrest the culprits would be launched later," said the SP. The clash has caused tension in the area. Security arrangements have been beefed up.
The college will remain open and the examinations scheduled to begin on May 3 will be held as per the previously announced programme, said Gaya DM Sanjay Kumar.