A windowpane broken during the clash at the CNLU hostel campus. Picture by Jai Prakash

A spate of indisciplinary incidents and hooliganism have vitiated the atmosphere at the state’s only law cradle, Chanakya National Law University, worrying some of the aspiring lawyers.

Frequent group clashes between the fourth- and fifth-year students have become a cause of concern for majority of the pupils on the Mithapur campus.

The latest altercation was on May 4. A girl in her fifth year was allegedly abused and threatened by a group of fourth-year students when she was out on an evening stroll.

Her classmates as well as third-year students staged protests demanding strict action against the accused. The group staged a dharna till Wednesday when the varsity administration decided to suspend the five fourth-year students involved.

Ajay, a third-year student at Chanakya National Law University, is one of the students worried about the tension on the campus. He said: “I dreamt of making a successful career in law. But lack of discipline and regular group clashes between the seniors and the juniors are hampering the academic atmosphere at the institute.”

Since December last year, the groups of fourth- and fifth-year students have clashed with each other at least three times, said sources.

After Saturday’s incident, the varsity administration tried to resolve the situation through talks but later succumbed to pressure from the third- and fifth-year students. It issued a notification on Wednesday night that read: “Five students are suspended from the university hostel with immediate effect i.e. from Wednesday, the 8th May 2013 until further orders. The students are directed to immediately vacate their respective rooms in the hostel. Failure to comply with the order will entail serious consequences, including rustication from the university.”

The students suspended are Piyush Kumar, Tarun Kumar, Sanchay, Prince Bharti and Jayant Kumar.

Vice-chancellor A. Lakshminath said: “The university is not going to tolerate such incidents. The suspension of the students from the hostel is a warning to the others to strictly follow the university’s rules and regulations.”