Students clash: Madras HC impleads college principals

CHENNAI: Perusing the report submitted by the State the Madras High Court opined that most of the campus violence are taking place among the students of Pachiyappa's and Presidency colleges, and the court impleaded the principals of both the colleges in the bail plea of students facing murder charge.

Justice AD Jagadish Chandra observed that the court doesn't want to instill fear among the students but intended to hold them to be a responsible community, while hearing petitions of Pachaiyappa's college students seeking bail.

The judge expressed his dissatisfaction that similar violence incident took place in Chennai recently involving college students. 

Special government pleader Ravichandran on behalf of the Higher Education department submitted the report regarding the criminal cases booked against college students for the past 10 years, pursuant to the court order.

Also Read: 'Route rivalry': College boy stomped to death by Pachaiyappa’s students

The report revealed that totally 231 cases were booked against college students within Chennai limit for causing violence and distrubance to the general public.

Among that 198 cases were booked by city police and 33 cases were registered by the Railway police, Chennai, said the report. It was also stated that 58 cases were booked against Pachaiyappa's college students and 28 cases were registered against Presidency college students.

Since most of the cases registered against the students of both the colleges, the Higher Education department sent a communication to the principals to sensitise the issue among professors, staffs and students of the respective colleges, said the government pleader. It was also intimated to the principals to hold a meeting with students representative in this regard, he added.

After perusing the report the court impleaded both the college principals as they hold responsibility and reserved the order in the bail pleas.

Also Read: ‘Route thala’ clash: Student attacked inside college

On October 4 a group of students from Pachaiyappa's college including the petitioners chased and brutally attacked A Sundar, a student of Presidency college near Chennai Central subarban railway station. Later, Sundar was admitted at Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital for treatment, however on October 9 he succumbed to the injuries. 

Based on the complaint lodged by the father of deceased student, E Anandan, a daily wager, Periamet police registered a case and arrested five students under sections 103 and 109 of Barathiya Nyaya Sanhita.