A Class XI student was critically injured in a fight with a classmate on their school premises in Howrah on Friday.

Rahul Pal Choudhury has been admitted to the surgical ward of Howrah District Hospital with injuries in the lower abdomen and left chest.

Saikat Das, with whom Rahul fought at Bantra Public Library Sikshaniketan, was also injured, but he recovered soon and his parents took him home.

Balaram Pal Choudhury, Rahul’s father, said he would decide on lodging a police complaint after consulting his family. T.K. Banerjee, the doctor attending to the 17-year-old, said: “The injuries are not fatal but the boy is in a state of shock. He can be released.”

Bimal Baral, a friend of both Rahul and Saikat, said the duo had picked a fight over a dispute over money. “Saikat bought a video game CD from Rahul on Thursday and promised to pay Rs 500. But today, he said he would not cough up more than Rs 100. That resulted in the fisticuff,” recalled Bimal.

The teachers separated them and took Rahul to hospital. Samir Gupta, the head teacher of the school, said: “We will see to it that such incidents do not recur.”

In April, a Class IV student had died after a classmate beat him up.