Madras high court grants bail to four Pachaiyappa's College students

CHENNAI: The Madras high court on Monday granted conditional bail to four students of Pachaiyappa's College who were arrested for assaulting a Presidency College student. The victim succumbed to the injuries he suffered in the attack.

As a bail condition, Justice A D Jagadish Chandira directed the four students to work in the casualty wards of Rajiv Gandhi Government General and Kilpauk Government hospitals until Dec 20.

The victim, identified as Sundar, an undergraduate political science student, passed away in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on Oct 6. According to police, Sundar was attacked with bare hands by a group of students from Pachaiyappa's College during a clash at the Moore Market Complex on Oct 4.

Sundar sustained injuries on his ears, neck and chest. He was taken to Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital and treated in the ICU but later succumbed to his injuries.

The Chennai police arrested five students involved in the attack, charging them with murder under sections 191(2), 191(3), 126, 296(b), 115(2), 109, and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The arrested -- Chandru, Yuvaraj, Eshwar, Hari Prasath and Kamaleshwaran -- are students of Pachaiyappa’s College.

In view of an order passed by the court, the Chennai city police informed the court that in the past 10 years, 231 cases were registered against city college students for involvement in violent clashes, of which 33 were registered by the railway police.

The city police added that a meeting with principals of the Presidency and Pachaiyappa’s colleges had been proposed to tackle the issue.

On Nov 14, the HC observed that it was time the state govt took appropriate action to end violent clashes between students un the city colleges.