Group clashes rock Odisha’s Utkal University ahead of Student Union polls

Ahead of the student union elections, the Utkal University campus witnessed violent clashes between rival factions of students affiliated with a political party. Several students were injured, prompting protests, police deployment, and growing tension within the student community.

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According to sources, tension flared at the varsity ahead of the upcoming student union elections, as rival factions of the same political party engaged in a violent face-off. The situation had escalated on Tuesday evening into a physical clash, leaving several students from both sides injured and admitted to the hospital.

The root of this unrest lies in hostel room disputes and the unauthorised entry of non-students into the campus. Protesters alleged that this interference is being used to sway the election. On Wednesday, students held a sit-in outside the Vice Chancellor’s office, demanding immediate restrictions on outsider entry.

The violence reportedly began during an ABVP-led event titled ‘Rakhi for Soldiers’, where leadership confusion arose between ABVP state members and another faction from the party’s Yuva Morcha. Tensions spiked when Yuva Morcha students and outsiders entered the campus, leading to heated arguments and eventually physical attacks.

Despite initial police intervention, the violent conflict reignited later in the evening. Campus resident Basudev Patra, one of the injured students, alleged that a group had previously threatened him over hostel occupancy. The same group, allegedly linked to Yuva Morcha, attacked him near the Central Hostel after a verbal altercation.

The Yuva Morcha members have also filed a counter-complaint, stating they were provoked. Both factions have lodged FIRs at the Saheed Nagar Police Station.

Police have been deployed on campus to monitor the situation, and authorities are on alert to prevent further escalation. Sources say both clashing groups are affiliated with the same party, and their rivalry is being fuelled by the desire to dominate the student elections.

“Entry of non-students into the campus should be prohibited. Tuesday evening, some non-students attacked my classmate Rajkumar Parida. We had admitted him to Capital Hospital in critical condition,” a supporter of Yuva Morcha, Debasish Mallick, stated to OTV.

“This is polluting the educational atmosphere in the varsity,” Debasish added.