Bhubaneswar, Sept. 28: An engineering student suffered a bullet injury at Khandagiri this afternoon after accidentally being caught in between two warring groups of students of his college who were having a gunfight.

The passing bullet hit Sanjog Raula, the third-year BTech student of a private engineering college, on his right leg. He is undergoing treatment at a private hospital at Khandagiri. Doctors attending to him have termed his health condition as stable. The incident took place within a two-hundred-metre radius of the college.

An officer of Khandagiri police station said that two groups of the students of the college, who had fought against each other during the freshers' party last month, embroiled themselves in a fresh scuffle today.

"The two groups of students were having frequent fights with each other ever since a brawl during a freshers' party last month. During the clash today, the warring students had also called a few outsiders from Jadupur and Baramunda at a spot near their college," said the officer.

"All of a sudden, two bullets were fired. One of the bullets hit Raula, who was standing at a tea shop near the spot. We are trying to ascertain which group had opened fire," said inspector in charge of Khandagiri police station Sarat Chandra Sahu.

Witnesses said around 25 motorcycle-borne youths had come to the spot wielding sticks and other weapons. They were beating each other with sticks.

"Suddenly we heard two gunshots. The second bullet accidentally hit Raula. He started bleeding profusely and was rushed to the hospital," said an eyewitness.

After the stray bullet hit Raula, the warring students left the spot in a huff, leaving four motorcycles.

The police arrived at the spot after about 15 minutes of the incident and seized the motorcycles and an empty bullet shell from there. They have launched a manhunt to nab the culprits. Security on the college campus has been beefed up.