Raiganj, Sept. 14: Teachers and students at Raiganj Polytechnic College have locked horns over who is at fault.

While eight boys of Raiganj Polytechnic College have been accused by teachers in the anti-ragging committee of harassing freshers, the students have claimed they were framed by the committee members who, they said, were drunk.

A strike was called by the Chhatra Sansad students’ union yesterday in protest against the identification of the students by the teachers. Trouble started when a group of students, all day scholars, defied the strike call and attended classes yesterday. A clash followed with three students being beaten up by the union boys.

The college authorities today appealed to the students to restore normality on campus and attend classes from tomorrow.

Students’ union general secretary Subrata Das denied there was any incident of ragging in the hostel on Friday night.

“Friday night we had organised a welcome for freshers at the hostel as is done every year. There was no ragging on the occasion. None of the first year students has complained of any ragging either. The teachers of the anti-ragging squad are mounting pressure on the first-year students to lodge complaints. We shall not tolerate such highhandedness of the teachers,” Das said.

Teacher-in-charge Nirmalendu Chowdhury, who is also a member of the anti-ragging squad, said: “The charges against the second-year students are genuine. On that night, we knew something would happen and so kept a watch without exposing ourselves. We found that many of the first-year students were stripped and forced to smoke.”

According to Chowdhury, the vigil was strengthened since last year after the committee received several ragging complaints. Eight students had been suspended on January 1, 2002, for two years on charges of ragging.

Chowdhury has also alleged that some of the second year students were drunk. “It is true that no fresher has lodged any complaint but the reasons are obvious,” he added.

Das hurled back the charge. “It is a matter of regret that our teachers came to our hostel drunk. They verbally abused us for no reason. We were just getting introduced to the first-year students, everything was going on fine till the teachers arrived and unnecessarily picked up a quarrel.”

Principal of the college Ashok Dey, who was away on Friday, said: “I have heard the allegations of both sides. The matter will be placed tomorrow before the chairperson of the college governing body Jyotsnarani Sinha and then a decision will be taken.”

The police are conducting a separate inquiry into the case.