DISCLAIMER: All facts mentioned in this article are based on whatever talks/discussions were in the air at the time of the event (you really cannot expect them to be in an authentic report). All sentiments mentioned here may seem a little exaggerated, but they were all generated in that time of utter tension and distress. The author is in no way responsible if anyone finds anything mentioned in this article conflicting/contradictory/offensive.
23rd March, 2012. A very normal day in the ongoing Military camp, organized in a half built campus of a well known educational institution, in some place in Haryana, that looked like Rajasthan. The Boys were filled with a sense of confidence and pride when in their Combat Uniforms. Sadly, a few students of the host Institution were too much full of air.
On a casual evening walk, a boy from the guest committee accidently bumped his shoulder against someone from the host college. A petty incident like this, turned into a matter of prestige. Something that usually is settled with an apology from both sides got heated up into a full fledged argument. As if this wasn’t enough, the blessed argument turned into an ego clash, with the students of the host college giving away threats. Yes, those ‘STUDENTS’ started threatening a bunch of four guys, just because one of ‘em accidently bumped a shoulder into some fellow. I pity those lads and their pumped up false ego.
And, to top it all, those infidels called in an enormous gang of 40 students, who mercilessly beat up a guy who was trying to negotiate between the two!! Even the most Ruthless of kings never harmed a messenger! THIS WAS IT!! The boys crossed a line. The event that took place was unfortunate & brutal. But such an act couldn’t have gone unanswered. The entire students from the guest college came in the common ground. The usually deserted ground was filled with around 200 students, who came in support of the injured; who came in opposition of this Ruthlessness. There was Rage all around. Frantic efforts were made to pull out the boys who so mercilessly beat up a fellow.
High on Adrenaline and the Spirit of Unity, they all rushed in. The boys from the guest college searched the Cafeteria and forced the students of the host college in their hostels. In the heat of the moment, there was a mere loss of property. A glass panel was broken, but that was nothing compared to the atrocities suffered by that one student who got beaten up by a gang of 40, just because one haughty lad from the Host college thought that bumping a shoulder against his was a crime that couldn’t be pardoned and the accused deserved a treatment. A rather brutal treatment. Ultimately, the guests succeeded in shoving the hosts back in their hostels, so that the culprits could be found. What followed has horrific.
The boys from the host institution didn’t get in because the guests forced them inside, but they went in to arm themselves. It seemed the college was a breeding ground for Militia. They came out with makeshift weapons to attack on the guests. Yes, a wonderful host committee they were. A swarm of heavily built guys came out with Baseball bats, Hockey sticks, Cricket bats and likewise. And as if this wasn’t enough, they picked up broken glass pieces and attacked almost anyone who was wearing the military uniform( perhaps the easiest way to identify students from the guest institution). It was brutal. Anyone in that uniform was beaten up. Some students even claim to have seen those makeshift-lead-pipe pistols they call ‘katta’ in the colloquial language. How do college students get hold of these things? How the hell are they keeping these things in the college hostel?
Oh the seen was barbaric. A stampede took place as the boys from the guest institution rushed back to take cover and strived to reach the hostel before they took further injury. While most brawls that involve two groups end up with a show of weapons only to scare the opposition, here, the intention was to injure. Various students got hit on the head by Steel Rods used in the ongoing construction. While most of the students took refuge in the guest hostel, a few were forced to escape into the annexing wilderness, just to save them from the armed mob. Really, were they college students?
An hour and a half after the shoulder bumping, somewhere around 10:30 in the night, the guests locked themselves in the hostel rooms. Incidents have been reported where the mob knocked doors and bashed up anyone who got up to answer it. Barbarism. The hosts had come down to pure animal instincts. Whatever amount of civic sense that was there had gone. It looked as if they hungered violence. 15-20 students locked themselves up in rooms and stayed together and waited till the heat turned down. Those were tense minutes spent in rooms by the guests. Something they didn’t sign up for. Whatever attempts that had been claimed by the host committee in order to separate the mob or to stop the violence was futile, if there was an attempt at all.
By the end of the brawl, 4 students were in the Hospital. Many were injured. 2 were lost in the dark somewhere outside the campus, and the rest were all terrified by the way the things turned out at this so called Military Camp.
The following morning, we expected some activity regarding sending us back home, but we got nothing. Breakfast was arranged in the guest hostel itself, thankfully. Post Breakfast was a session with a senior member of the Host Institution, which gave away their intention- Keep them in. Don’t involve the Police. Don’t hype the issue. They’re just kids suspicious of everything around them.
The authorities were asked as to why almost everyone was carrying a Baseball bat, the convenient reply was that they play it. Really sir? They play baseball? In your campus? Your front field is barely big enough to sport a compromised game of soccer. The rest of your campus is just concrete, steel rods and cement mix. Also, how does one play baseball without any field markings? We saw none. Not on the green field. Not on the hockey field. Not on the parade ground. NOWHERE.
After the discussion for 15 more minutes and constant pressurizing over the fact that “ WE DO NOT FEEL SAFE HERE ANYMORE”, the guests saw a slight ray of hope that they might leave in a few hours. That following evening was the Host College’s fest. Their students would be drunk ( come on, we all know how they are on fests, no one’s a kid here), and would be submerged in a feeling of college unity. There was a slight possibility of another brawl. The chances were bleak, but no one wanted to take it. No one could afford to take it. No one wanted another night of trauma. Finally, sometime past noon and a short summary on how unfortunate the turn of events was, we were boarded on to our buses. The very buses that were filled with utterly enthusiastic students, carried back a very sad and quiet lot of students, who were going back home, before time, from a trip that was supposed to end on a happy note.
Thank-you Host College, That was one hell of a camp. Sarcasm intended.
Now that you know what happened, here are a few things that came into the mind of the guest students while they went through this Trauma:-
- When the authorities couldn’t handle the situation, clearly, Why wasn’t the police involved?
- Things had already gone bad. Why wasn’t any provision made to clear out the students from the hostel by night?
- If that was asking for too much, there wasn’t any such thing done by morning either. Why?
- In these times of distress, when we needed assurance, why wasn’t there a single senior administration member from the guest institution? Imagine the morale of the students if the HOD or someone as senior would be present at the site the following morning. But sadly, no one showed up. NO ONE.
- The students felt as if their University didn’t care. And its only fair to think that way.
- Senior University officials were contacted, but they did not take the situation seriously. Promises were made that they would show up, but they were broken. Really Sir/Ma’am, who would care to spoil a Saturday morning to show up at a place 50kms away, just for the sake of 200 students. After all, you’ve got the fees for this semester.
Its times like these when Universities should make an effort to make their students feel safe. To make them feel as if someone’s got their back. Sadly, the students from the guest college were left feeling like trash.
