Brawl over a chair at SAU leaves nine injured

A dispute between two students of Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, over a chair in their classroom escalated into an armed clash between people belonging to the Makrani Baloch and Kaleri communities on Tuesday, leaving at least nine people injured and forcing the university to suspend classes.

The violence spilled over into the town's rural health centre, where groups of baton-wielding men allegedly forced their way in and partially ransacked the facility after injured students were brought there for treatment.

Gunshots were heard near the university's entrance and later at the health facility, according to witnesses. The university administration suspended classes and announced a holiday for Wednesday as a precautionary measure. "Both students called people from their respective communities to help them in the fight," DSP Tandojam said. He added that when some injured students were shifted to the rural health centre, large crowds forcibly entered the facility and resumed the confrontation.

Police subsequently cleared the hospital of unrelated people and locked its entrance, the officer said.

However, the SAU spokesman told The Express Tribune that the main clash took place at the health facility rather than inside the university. He denied that any gunshots were fired within the university premises and said the suspension of classes was purely a precautionary measure.

Among those injured were Roshan Kaleri, Gul Zaman Kaleri, Ghulam Asghar, Zahid Baloch, Ilyas Baloch and Ali. Ali, who suffered a head injury, told reporters at Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad, that the dispute began when three Kaleri students allegedly asked a Makrani student to vacate his chair so that one of them could sit on it.