Injured students demonstrate outside Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, July 17: Rival groups, which clashed in the Utkal University last week, took their fight outside the campus today. While one group staged protest outside the Raj Bhavan, the other approached the State Human Rights Commission for redressal of its grievances.

Seven persons, including four students, were injured and several vehicles were damaged in the campus clash that took place on Thursday and Friday. The two warring groups, comprising students as well as non-students, had then lodged complaints against each other with Saheed Nagar police.

Around 30 students, who protested outside the Raj Bhavan today, demanded the arrest of their rivals and action against university vice-chancellor Prashant Kumar Sahoo for his alleged corrupt practices.

They said despite lodging a complaint against the other group, led by university students’ union president Tanmaya Swain, the police have not taken any action.

“The police are being soft to them,” said Sangram Patra, a third-year law student who was injured in the clash. He and his friends also demanded the resignation of the Sahoo. “He is responsible for instigating the student unrest on the campus and must resign immediately,” said Jiten Palei, a law student.

They also sought security for the hostel boarders because they have allegedly been receiving threats from their rival group. “We will give a memorandum to the chief minister, the governor, the chief secretary and the higher education minister seeking immediate action,” said a student.

Vice-chancellor Sahoo dismissed the charges of corruption and asked the aggrieved students to prove their claim. “All my students are equal in my eyes. Why should I incite violence among them? These are just baseless allegations,” he said.

On the other hand, the students’ group led by Swain met the chairperson of the State Human Rights Commission today alleging police inaction and seeking its intervention in the matter. Swain said two of his friends were attacked and sustained injuries in the clash.

“It has been five days since we lodged the complaint with the police through our vice-chancellor, but they have not arrested anyone. Therefore, we want the human rights commission to take care of this issue,” said Swain. The Saheed Nagar police said that they had registered complaints from both sides after the clash.