Bhubaneswar, Feb. 13: The group of 23 Afghan students, some of whom involved in a clash at National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela on Saturday night, are expected to return to the campus on Thursday.

The foreign students had been shunted to a private guesthouse as a precautionary measure in view of the incident. Though the Indian students had been demanding expulsion of the Afghans involved in the clash, a compromise has been reached following several rounds of discussion with both groups.

“The issue has been amicably resolved. It is understood that the Afghans will return to the campus tomorrow and offer an apology. No disciplinary action would be initiated against the students,” said a top official of the institute.

Sources said a group of 10 Afghan students, who were allegedly drunk, hurled abuse at local students, which led to a heated exchange and fisticuffs.

The official added that the Afghan students would stay at their hostel (there is a separate hostel for foreign students) under strict supervision of senior authorities of the institute to avoid possible backlash by Indian students.

However, FIRs lodged by both parties after the incident has not been withdrawn so far, said Rourkela additional superintendent of police, Sudarshan Sethi.

“The issue has been sorted out and we are yet to decide about the FIRs. But whatever would be done will be in the interest of both groups,” he said.

Sethi also said that three Afghan students, who are pursuing MTech courses at the institute, were likely to return to campus tonight.

Twenty of their countrymen, who are enrolled in BTech courses, would follow suit on Thursday morning along with an Israeli student, who had also been shifted to the guesthouse after the clash.

Officials said at least six, including four of the foreigners, were injured in the violence.

Nearly 4,500 Indian students study at this premier engineering institute.