In what seems to be a frequent crime in Chennai, a gang of students from Pachaiyappa’s College were caught on camera brandishing machetes, chasing and taking a swing at each other in broad daylight, in the middle of traffic, on Tuesday. The video of the shocking incident that took place at Arumbakkam in Chennai went viral on the internet.
The video shows a Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus halting in the middle of incoming traffic, with a group of students attacking and chasing some young men in the bus with machetes. Later, one of them heads back to the bus and flings the sword at a young man inside, even as commuters are seated inside the bus.
According to reports, the incident seems to have been a fight between two groups of students allegedly from Parrys Corner and Poonamallee areas in the city, reportedly over who would be the bus 'route thala'. 'Route Thala' (route leader) is a coveted title bestowed upon a student by the other students for a particular bus route. Sometimes, this title also leads to clashes. This leader enjoys special privilege as 'route thala' and the idea itself has been a notorious culture passed down over the years by students belonging to city colleges in Chennai.
This shocking footage, which brought traffic to a halt later, was caught by the public on the road and in nearby buildings. It is now being used by the police to identify the students involved in this act of hooliganism. The Arumbakkam police told TNM that the two groups involved in the incident are from Pachaiyappa’s College.
According to the Times of India, the police nabbed two 20-year-olds, Madhan, a third-year BA Philosophy student, and Shruti, a third-year BA History student, from a hideout on Tuesday. A manhunt for four others, all third-year students, has now been launched.
According to the reports, Vasanthakumar and his friend had boarded 29-E (Perambur to Thiruverkadu) around 2.15 pm and when the bus halted near DG Vaishnav College, the other group confronted the students inside the bus with weapons.
Two 19-year-old second-year students - I Vasantha Kumar, BA Philosophy, and Akash, BA History - were injured in this attack. While Akash returned home after being treated at a private hospital, Vasantha Kumar, who sustained more serious injuries, was taken to a private hospital in the area and then shifted to Stanley Government Hospital.
Just last month, the Kilpauk police arrested 17 students belonging to Pachaiyappas College for creating ruckus on the road by pulling a dangerous stunt, seated atop a moving bus, as their way of celebrating ‘bus day’. A video of more than 20 students standing on the roof of the bus, and a few seated on it with their feet dangling over the windscreen, was caught on camera and immediately went viral. The incident took place along the 27H bus route from Avadi to Anna Square.
In August 2018, students, believed to be from Presidency College, were seen hanging off footboards, brandish knives on the bus. They dragged the knives down the length of the road to make sparks fly.