In a shocking incident, young men on a bus in Chennai were seen in a video brandishing knives and dragging it across the length of the road on Wednesday.
The men, believed to be students of Presidency College, were hanging off the footboard of the bus, and were holding billhooks in their hands. Some of them had masked their faces by tying a handkerchief around their head.
The video, reportedly shot near the Mint Flyover in north Chennai on Bus Number 57F, shows the students dragging their knives along the road, in an attempt to send sparks flying. The bus travels from Red Hills to Karanodai.
The students, who were hanging off both doors of the bus, could be heard yelling, “Mannila kaloori ku jai!(Long live, Presidency College)”
The video went viral on Thursday, with several calling for the city police to take action.
Speaking to TNM, Inspector of the Washermenpet police station said, “Investigations are on. We are scrutinizing the video.” However, he denied that anyone had been arrested in connection with the incident.
In June this year, students of the Presidency College were arrested and detained for carrying weapons to campus on their first day of college. They had, along with students of other colleges, caused public nuisance to passengers by climbing buses, playing loud songs and singing.
In February, Presidency College students had clashed with students of other colleges. Investigations had revealed that the students 'earmarked' their seats in a race against students of other colleges. They reportedly mark their territories by being the 'gang' that makes the most noise.
And in January this year, students of the Presidency college vandalised the Pattaravakam railway station in the city, injuring three people and chasing away commuters. A similar case of vandalism was recorded in October last year, when a video of students traveling on a train, holding sickles and knives went viral. These cases of gang wars, allegedly, originate from an inter-college rivalry contest called “route thala”, where students of participating colleges try to establish control and supremacy over the specific route. Colleges on this specific route are Presidency, Nandanam and Pachaiyappa’s.