Presidency student held with sickle

The accused, B Sumanth (18), is a first-year BSc Physics student of Presidency college in the city. He was caught when a special team was screening passengers on EMU shuttling between Sulurpettai railway station and Chennai Central station at Kurukkupettai station.

The team, while searching the bags of college students, found Sumanth hiding a sickle in his backpack.

He was carrying the stainless steel machete with a plan to attack students of other colleges. Clashes between different student groups have been regular on buses and trains over route thala issue.

During enquiry, he confessed that he and his friends were conspiring to attack students of other colleges and he was arrested by the railway police. Sumanth was later remanded in judicial custody by a court in Ponneri.