Bhagalpur: Three students of Bihar College of Engineering (BCE), Bhagalpur, attempted suicide hours after they were scolded by principal secretary, department of science and technology, Harjot Kaur Bamhrah and department director Atul Sinha on Friday evening for assaulting their principal.

Two of the students were named in the FIR following the attack on the college principal. They attempted suicide on Saturday morning. Doctors at JLNMC hospital referred one student who hanged himself, to Patna on a life-support system where his situation remains critical. The senior officials who arrived from Patna asked the college management to deal with an iron hand against 200-odd students who raided the quarters of college principal Nirmal Kumar in a bid to kill him late on August 23.

The college management shut down the college for 22 days and on Saturday morning began vacating hostels.

Kshitij Kumar Shukla, 3rd -year student of mechanical engineering, made a suicide bid by hanging himself inside his room in hostel No-4.

Kshitij, a native of East Champaran, was among 11 students accused in the FIR registered by principal Nirmal Kumar. Some hostel inmates cut the rope wrapped around Kshitij's neck and rushed him to JLNMC hospital. Senior doctors were present at the time so his life was saved. But his condition remained serious so he was referred to IGMS-Patna in the afternoon," said Rajvansh Singh, deputy superintendent of police (DSP-city). "Two other students, Shivam Dev and Sahil Sourav, also made a bid on their lives by cutting their wrists. They too were admitted here and released after treatment."

"The police were vacating the hostels when news of Kshitij's suicide bid spread. Those who were not in a mood to vacate the hostel attacked us," said Kantesh Kumar, a photo journalist here. Police later dispersed the unruly mob.