Police personnel patrol Ravenshaw University campus on Monday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, June 24: Violence gripped Ravenshaw University campus as boarders of two hostels clashed last night.

The incident, which took place around 10pm yesterday when boarders of New PG Hostel allegedly attacked a few inmates of East Hostel, left three students injured. However, neither group has registered a police complaint.

“As the varsity mess was closed, we had gone out for dinner at a hotel outside the campus around 9.30pm. On our way back, around 15 boarders of New PG hostel attacked us with beer bottles, sticks and rods,” said third-year commerce student Rudra Prasad Sharma.

University vice-chancellor B.C. Tripathy said an inquiry committee had been constituted to probe the matter.

“We have written to deputy commissioner of police S. Praveen Kumar to ensure peace on the campus. The committee will decide what action should be taken against the erring students,” said Tripathy.

Student groups from both hostels had clashed earlier on several occasions. On February 25, both groups had been engaged in brick batting, leaving a student seriously injured.

The campus was ransacked while a motorcycle parked on the varsity premises had also been torched.

Subsequently, university officials had debarred four students, including two boarders of East Hostel and two day scholars, from appearing for the fourth semester examination, besides imposing a suspension of two years (four semesters) on them. A fine of Rs 2,000 had also been slapped on four students. However, the students were allowed to sit for the exams following an interim order of the high court.

A varsity official said they were taking precautions to ensure that the clash did not hamper the sixth convocation ceremony scheduled for July 2.

A budget of Rs 7 lakh has been prepared for the event to be attended by Union human resource development minister M.M. Pallam Raju.

The varsity will confer honorary doctorate degrees to seven eminent personalities, including Pallam Raju, writer Sitakant Mahapatra, justice Deepak Mishra, classical singer Raghunath Panigrahi, academics Devendra Chandra Mishra and Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi and linguist Devi Prasanna Pattanayak.

On the occasion, 59 students will receive gold medals while 18 PhD scholars will be given awards.