Patna: A video clip of hired dancers gyrating to Bollywood and Bhojpuri numbers during Saraswati Puja celebrations on the BN College hostel premises on Monday night went viral on Tuesday, leading to an outcry.

The "indecent" programme happened hours after Patna University vice-chancellor Rash Bihari Singh, registrar Ravindra Kumar and other senior officials visited various hostels on Monday.

The college had organised Saraswati Puja as per tradition. There were two stages, one with the idol of Goddess Saraswati, and another purportedly for cultural events.

"We thought senior boarders would organise some cultural fest," a boarder of BN College said on condition of anonymity. "Even when VC sir along with senior officials reached the hostel on Monday evening, they were informed by senior boarders that they had invited a cultural group in the evening."

The cultural function started at 7pm. "Till 9pm everything was fine, with college students presenting songs and dances," said the boarder. "Later, some bar girls got on stage and started dancing. The vulgarity of the dance increased as time passed."

Sources said some cops who were present at the function didn't try to stop the event.

As the video went viral, Patna University decided to take strict action. VC Singh along with other officials visited the hostel on Tuesday, but most of the boarders had left.

"This is a very unfortunate incident. We will not spare anyone," Singh said. "We have issued show-cause notices to all the boarders and FIRs will be lodged against the boarders who were members of Saraswati Puja committee."

The university has constituted a five-member probe committee headed by BN College principal Raj Kishore Prasad.

There were also reports of some students were drinking liquor, however neither the college/university administration nor the police found any evidence of that.

"We have not discovered any liquor bottles from the hostel premises," said Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj.

Political parties condemned the boarders.

"The students' activities have brought shame to the university and the college," said JDU MLC Neeraj Kumar. "Students should avoid such activities at the hostel."

Patna district magistrate Kumar Ravi has also set up a two-member team comprising the sadar sub-divisional officer and DSP (town) to probe the incident. The DM has asked for a report within three days. The DM has asked the probe team to identify the boarders involved in the incident and to identify illegal boarders in the hostel.