Are education institutions becoming battlegrounds for students and their families? This question looms large after a violent clash erupted at Shanti Business School in Ahmedabad, turning a Ganesh idol installation into a scene of chaos and destruction. What started as a minor dispute between a senior and a first-year student escalated into a brutal altercation, with family members involved, SUV ramming through gates and students armed with sticks and iron rods.
The conflict began when a third-semester student, living in the school’s hostel, asked a first-year PGDM student and her friends to leave the overhead bridge where they were standing.
When the girl questioned his tone, the boy and his friends responded, “You’re a junior, we’ll talk to you like this. What will you do about it?” Following this, the girl informed her father and brother. They arrived in a Thar SUV and Hyundai Verna and called the boy to the entrance. A violent altercation ensued.
In circulating videos, an SUV is seen crashing through the school’s gates and into a wall, causing significant damage. The confrontation escalated, with students using sticks and iron rods. The Thar later crashed into a wall, knocking the girl’s father unconscious. The boy and his friends returned armed and attacked her brother.
Cross-complaints Filed
In his FIR, the boy claimed that during the Ganesh festival, he asked the girl and her friends to leave the bridge. He alleges the girl insulted him and issued threats and though security intervened, she warned they would return.
According to the girl’s complaint, she was teased by other seniors while leaving the area. After informing her family, her brother and father came to the institution to talk to the senior. Her FIR also stated that the senior’s female friend verbally abused them during the conversation. The boy and eight friends then reportedly attacked the girl’s brother with a stick and a sitting stool. The father lost consciousness when the SUV hit a wall and the brother suffered head injuries and broke two teeth.
The girl’s father, the boy and his friend were arrested. The boy received bail on Monday. As many as 12 individuals were injured in the clash. Sources told VOI that the girl and her family are receiving treatment at a local hospital. Attempts to reach the family were unsuccessful.
School’s Response
Vibes of India spoke exclusively to the Director of School, Dr. Neha Sharma, to further understand their actions during and after the alteration.
Speaking about the entire incident, she said, “Most of the students left the bridge but the girl did not listen. Another call came which infuriated her. The people intervened to settle the matter. For some reasons, the girl’s ego was hurt and she decided to include family. The matter escalated beyond anyone’s imagination. The family arrived here in an aggressive manner. They walked into the campus. They started a road rage outside the campus. They intended to mow students down.”
She further stated one student suffered grave injuries due to their aggressive manner. “They came back and rammed the SUV to the bus shelter. The father was left unconscious. The students helped her father. The whole incident occurred between 08:20 p.m. and 09:00 p.m.,” she recalled.
The Bopal police came shortly after the school authorities informed them of the whole incident.
On being asked about the adequate security measures in place, she said, “Security measures are present, however, not for road rage. Somebody comes with a murderous intention, the present security is not enough. We have three manned gates. CCTV surveillance is also being done.”
Presently, the security is beefed up with bouncers in view of the recent incident.
On Monday, the administration called an immediate internal meeting and deliberated on the future course of actions, such as rustication. “The process would be to first identify the people who were present at the location. What exactly led to the incident? We will further collect both parties’ statements on the incident. The committee includes the Head of the institution, HR head, faculty representative and student council member,” she said.
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