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A row over a missing phone escalated into physical confrontation at the SK Nursing College in Kakinada, as local students clashed with students from the northeastern states of Nagaland and Manipur. Visuals from the college hostel showed the two groups of students holding sticks and flinging buckets at each other on August 22, Saturday.
Kakinada district Collector MN Harendhira Prasad said the incident began with an allegation of a phone theft which happened on Saturday, followed by counter-allegations.
“The issue is primarily because of a phone being stolen, which belonged to a student from the northeast. It was subsequently found and both sets of students were pacified,” the Collector said.
Students from the northeast had earlier alleged that they were injured due to assault by local students. One student from Andhra Pradesh was also injured in the clash according to The Hindu.
The tension reportedly escalated after the students from Andhra Pradesh learned that the northeastern students had lodged a police complaint over the missing phone.
Students from Manipur reportedly approached the office of Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh for help, following which district authorities intervened in the situation.
“The northeastern students were accommodated in a nearby facility, where they are safe and comfortable,” the Collector said on August 22. He also visited the students on August 23.
Kakinada Superintendent of Police G Bindu Madhav said that the misunderstanding would be addressed and a long-term solution will be discussed.
