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2 IIT-Madras scholars injured in spat over 'beef fest'

Two research scholars at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, came to blows on Monday over the 'beef fest' on campus in which both sustained injuries, sources inside the campus have said.



According to them there was no 'right wing' attack on students for taking part in the beef fest.



According to a PhD scholar at the IIT, who spoke on condition of anonymity, 'It is being portrayed as a group attack on a student, Suraj, who was present at the beef party on Monday, but this is not true'.



The student said: "In our mess, there a section which serves Jain food. During lunch today, Manish Kumar Singh, a student from Bihar, saw Suraj eating there. He asked him what was he doing there after organising a beef party. This turned into a verbal spat and Suraj made some provocative statements. The two hit each other in which Manish's hand was fractured while Suraj sustained injuries below his eyes."



"It was a fight between two students and not a group attack on one. Manish, meanwhile, is not a member of any right-wing group," the student said.



He said that a complaint has been registered with the dean of students.



Meanwhile, a friend of Suraj was quoted as saying by ANI that the 'beef party was not a celebration of the right for us to consume beef'. "Major point for the event was to have discussion within institute and to raise awareness," he said.



IMAGE: IIT Madras student Suraj being taken for treatment after the brawl. Photograph: ANI

