BHUBANESWAR: Violence ahead of students’ union polls rocked Rajdhani College on Monday.Two student groups clashed with each other inside the campus over election issue.A student Prashant Dalei was attacked by his rival group on the college campus. They were not happy with the rising popularity of Dalei among the students ahead of the election. They thrashed him in front of other students at around 11.30am, said a college staff.Dalei’s friend Rajat Kumar Parida, president of the Rajdhani College Students’ Union, said the rivals attacked his friend while he was in the principal’s chamber to discuss some matter.“When I returned from the principal’s office, I saw Dalei was lying on the floor. We admitted him at a private hospital and searched for the attackers,” he added.He said his group has been planning to field Dalei as presidential candidate for the upcoming election.“My rival group asked him not to contest the poll. But Dalei did not pay heed to their demand and faced their wrath. We did not indulge in violence fearing cancellation of election. We have lodged an FIR with the Khandagiri police,” he added.The other group has also alleged that Dalei along with his friends had attacked one of their friends. They also sent a complaint to the principal.Sasmita Tripathy, the principal of the college, said she got two complaint letters from the student groups after the clash.“We have forwarded the complaints to the local police. Situation of the college is under control,” she added.Police are deployed in the campus to maintain peace. Complaint of the student groups were not registered by the police till the filing of the report. Dalei’s group urged city DCP Anup Kumar Sahoo to take action against their attackers.Six students were injured on August 20 after two groups fought with each other in and outside the BJB Autonomous College campus here over election issue.

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