Cotton University Hostel Clash Leaves Five Students Seriously Injured

The rivalry between two hostels of Cotton University in Guwahati took a drastic turn, leading to clashes between the boarders, which left at least five students severely injured on Tuesday.

The clash, according to ground reports, broke out over a football match played between the Seeta Nath Brahma Choudhury (SNBC) Hostel and Shahid Ranjit Barpujari (SRB) Hostel during the ongoing sports week, part of Cotton University’s Varsity Week.

 Boarders of SRB Hostel, allegedly agitated over losing in the match, attacked the students of SNBC Hostel using sharp weapons. Those injured have been identified as first-semester students.

According to the reports, the attackers were infuriated with some of the decisions during the match that went against them. A total of 11 boarders of SRB Hostel have been identified for their involvement in the incident. Their identities are being withheld at the moment.

Meanwhile, the injured students of SNBC Hostel were taken to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where they received treatment. Doctors there told our reporter that though the victims are out of danger, they have been kept for further observation.

Witness' Description

A student, who witnessed the incident, said, “Those injured in the clash today are all boarders of SNBC Hostel, while the attackers are all from SRB Hostel. This year, we won in the student body elections and are also leading in various events held during the Varsity Week this year. They seem to have harboured some jealousy due to this.”

“Today, two of the victims were assaulted near the railway station, and two others were attacked near the hostel itself. They came in a large group and carried out the pre-planned attack. Two of the victims were hit on the head with sharp weapons. A 17-year-old student was repeatedly thrashed with a fire extinguisher,” he said, before adding, “We have never seen this level of violence, although there have been many instances of mishaps. This is extremely sad and shameful for the university. We have approached the police to take action against those involved in the incident.”

The incident follows a similar case that surfaced a few days ago at Cotton University, where students were involved in vandalising a car. Cotton University, a stalwart among Assam’s education institutions, is gaining disrepute for frequent bouts of unwanted aggression by its students.