Student injured in fight

By JUNIOR UKAHA and VICKY BAUNKE
A STUDENT was injured on Monday following a brawl among students at the University of Technology’s Taraka campus in Lae.
The fighting started after some students were not happy with the Students Representative Council’s decision to end the boycott of classes.
The 4,000-plus students attending the university had joined their colleagues in other universities in boycotting classes in the past six weeks, calling on the Prime Minister to step down and allow corruption allegations against him to be investigated.
SRC president David Kelma confirmed the fighting yesterday in an interview with The National.
Kelma said one of the male students was injured.
“He was slashed with a bush knife on his leg,” Kelma said.
“He was admitted at the hospital and is recovering. I do not know how the bush knife was smuggled into the campus.”
Kelma said the incident happened between 4pm and 5pm during a student forum on campus. The forum was held to relay the SRC’s decision for students to end the boycott of classes yesterday (Tuesday).
Kelma said the decision was not received well by some students.
“When the four regional group leaders gave their speeches, they incited the students,” Kelma said.
“When vice-president Michelle (Banga) gave her speech, she was shouted down by a group of students sitting near the main gate.”
“Another group of students sitting near library told the other group to keep quiet.
“This resulted in the fight.”
Lae Metropolitan Superintendent Anthony Wagambie Jr on Monday sent officers to defuse the situation.
Unitech Vice-Chancellor Dr Albert Schram confirmed that one student was wounded during the fight.
“The brawl lasted only half an hour after which order was restored,” Schram said.
“We are confident we can calm down the students and that most students will return to classes in the course of the week.”