Tension prevailed at the Presidency College campus on Kamarajar Salai after two students suffered stab injuries in a clash over the college election and bus route rivalry on Thursday.
Subsequent police arrests indicated that youth not studying in the college were having a free run on the campus.
“We have arrested three students of the college and two outsiders for the attack,” police said.
Over the last three days, since the college reopened after the election was held on Friday, the police had seized knives from different students in the college.
“The injured students, part of a group that travelled in MTC bus route number 27 H, were supporters of the vice chairman who won the election, while the group of attackers travelled in MTC route number 60,” the police said.
“It is usual for students in the city to group together if they are traveling in the same bus. Students from one particular college prefer to travel together. They avoid travelling with students of other colleges in fear of being teased and attacked,” a police official noted.
According to the police, Perumal, a third year student of BA Economics, and Karthik, a final year student of BSc Zoology, were stabbed near the economics department building and are under treatment at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
Another student, Sathesh Kumar, was also injured after glass pieces of a shattered widow panel hit him during the clash.
The arrested were identified as Sathish Kumar, 19, and Sasi Kumar, 19, both first year students, and Arun Kumar, an evening student of the Presidency College.
The other two detained by the police are Suresh, an ITI student from Mint, and Balaji, 20, a BA final year student from Loyala College in Nungambakkam.
All the arrested were sent to jail for 15 days of judicial custody.