Row over mess line triggers clash at Rajasthan varsity; 36 students detained

The two left the hostel mess and their friends clashed with each other with stones and sticks, Dushyant said.

He said police have “lodged two FIRs on the basis of cross-complaints and taken 36 students from both sides into preventive detention”.

A student at the university told The Sunday Express that the matter allegedly began when Rahul, a senior student from Jammu, tried to cut the queue in the mess, leading to an altercation with Qutubuddin, who comes from the Valley.

Gangrar Deputy SP Shrawan said, “The two got into a fight but others around them intervened. Both then went to the hostel and informed their respective groups. The factions subsequently clashed — they threw stones, leaving seven or eight students injured.”

A student claimed that the issue was sorted in the mess itself “but then some students, who are from a few Hindi-speaking states and stay outside the campus, entered with weapons, including at least one gun”.

Shrawan said police personnel have been deployed to maintain peace.

Harish Gurnani, a director at the university, said, “It was a very small episode — a clash of egos that was given territorial or religious shape. It was a momentary outbreak.”

While videos of the incident that emerged online showed students shouting slogans, SP Dushyant said the complaints by either side doesn’t mention any such allegation and the FIR has primarily invoked sections of assault.

Gurnani said no student has been suspended yet but university officials are scanning CCTV footage and assisting police with the investigation. The university has constituted a six-member committee, headed by Dhwaj Kirti Sharma, Dean, Academics and Student Welfare, to investigate the incident.

On multiple cases of violence reported from Mewar University over the last few years, Gurnani said, “We are a very diversified campus, with students from 29 states and eight or 10 countries. The campus has a very vibrant and diversified culture.”

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association urged Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to intervene and direct authorities to release all 20 detained (Kashmiri) students. In a statement, the association’s national convenor, Nasir Khuehami, urged Gehlot to “prioritise the well-being and safety of all Kashmiri students…at Mewar University.”

Students who sustained injuries include Ayush Sharma from Bhilwara, Krishan Pratap Singh from Pratapgarh, and Furqan from Kashmir, all of whom received stitches on their head. Ayush, whose hand was injured, was referred to Udaipur.

The SP said none of the injuries were caused by sharp weapons. On Ayush, he said the student told police that the injury was caused by shattered glass.

Alleging that a few university officials acted with prejudice, some students said that they allowed students who stay outside the university to enter past 9 pm, when students’ entry or exit is prohibited. Gurnani said the committee will investigate the allegation.