On Wednesday afternoon, a clash broke out between students at Gurunanak Engineering College in Bidar, Karnataka, during the annual EBuzz festival. The conflict started when a provocative song, “Bharat ka baccha baccha Jai Sri Ram bolega,” was played, allegedly to disturb the event’s atmosphere. Some students also chanted “Jai Shri Ram” slogans.
The situation escalated when a few students objected to the song, leading to a physical altercation between the groups. Following the clash, Hindu students filed an FIR against 17 Muslim students.
Bidar Deputy Commissioner Govind Reddy told media that the clash took place during a ‘practice session’ for a youth festival planned for May 31. During the practice, two actors raised the slogan ‘Jai Sri Ram’ as part of their play. This was objected to by some students from another community, resulting in an attack on the students who raised the slogan. The altercation soon involved more students, leading to a broader conflict with manhandling and fisticuffs.
According to Deputy Commissioner Reddy, the situation is now fully under control, and there was no need to impose prohibitory orders. Police presence has been increased around the college to maintain security.
The college management has decided to cancel the upcoming youth festival in response to the incident. Students who raised the ‘Jai Sri Ram’ slogans were taken to the hospital for a check-up following the registration of a medico-legal case, though no internal injuries were reported.
