In a shocking incident reported from Chennai, a 19-year-old college student lost his life after being attacked by a group of students. He was undergoing treatment at Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Hospital and succumbed to injuries on 9 October. According to the reports, the boy was attacked last week by another group of college students.

The deceased was identified as A. Sundar, resident of Ponpadi village in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu. He was a student of BA Political Science in Presidency college of Chennai, The Hindu reported.

According to the Police, Sundar was attacked by students of Pachaiyappa’s College on October 4. The incident occurred over ‘route thala’ issue. On Friday, Sundar was waiting at the station to board a local train when a group of college students surrounded him and beat him up. Rivalry over route thala is said to be the reason behind the attack. Reportedly, after being attacked, when Sundar tried to flee, he fell and banged his head on a pillar leading to injuries. He was found bleeding at the site and was taken to the hospital by the police.

Chennai Police has acted on the complaint filed by Sundar’s father and arrested five students in connection with his death. The arrested students are identified as Chandru, Yuvaraj, Eswar, Hariprasad and Kamaleshwaran.

His death has ignited protests at the Presidency College and students have demanded justice for Sundar. They have demanded strict action against the inter-college rivalries.

This is not the first time that tension in colleges have escalated due to route thala issue. In the past also, there have been incidents of clashes among students.

The News Minute reported that amid the fear of clash among students, Railway police has beefed up the security at bus, MRTS and railway stations.

What is Route Thala?

Route Thala is a popular term used in Chennai among students. It defines a gang-like culture, where a student is projected as the ‘boss’ or ‘leader’ of a particular bus or train route. Students even fight with each other to show the dominance. This culture has led to violent clashes among college students in the past.

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