Clash between senior and junior students of Government Engineering College on Wednesday night left four of them injured, who were admitted to JLN Hospital. The quarrel started last month when the juniors refused to follow the practice of saluting their boss' (the seniors). The police registered cases against the two groups and on Thursday afternoon the college formed a disciplinary committee to probe the matter and issued notice to students. Meanwhile, the student groups "patched up" at the police station.

According to the police, Kailash Singh, a first year student, alleged in the last week of January, that Devender Meena, a third year student and his friends ---Pawan Meena, Vijay Meena, Satish, Shanker, Neeraj, Satyaveer and others --- had accosted him at Lal Phatak Bridge and assaulte d him and Kan Singh. "Quarrel began when juniors refused to bow before their seniors and salute them," said sources.

Devender was studying at his friend's house in Vigyan Nagar when he was called out, said the police.

"When I went out Kailash, Jhaber, Lokender and other students attacked me with a baseball bat," said Devender in his complaint. Hearing his screams, other senior students came and clash between the two groups turned ugly. "Four students got seriously injured and were taken to the hospital. We have registered a complaint to arrest them," said Jagdish Singh, investigating officer of Adarsh Nagar police station. He said the groups have agreed to compromise but we will produce chargesheet against them.

Sources said juniors refer to their seniors as boss'. But because the juniors belonged to upper caste and seniors from tribal belt, there was an ego clash.

"The juniors refused to obey them and there were several fights between them," said college students.

"We got to know that caste was a problem for which we have formed a disciplinary committee," said M C Govil, the college principal. "We have issued notices to all students involved in the clash and have asked them to appear before the committee," said Govil.

But students on Thursday evening went to the police station requesting them to withdraw the complaints. "The fight was a misunderstanding and they do not want any action against any student," said the officer.