Student suffers knife wounds

 By JUNIOR UKAHA

A STUDENT was reportedly injured following a fight among students of the Bugandi Secondary School in Lae, Morobe, on Wednesday afternoon.

Police said the victim suffered knife wounds after he was stabbed by a group of students.

The fight was among a group of Grade 10 students.

School principal Tetang Punumping confirmed the fighting but said it was an isolated incident and did not involve the whole school. 

Last year, two male students at the school were shot by police following a fight with students from another school.

One of the victims, of Sepik origin, died instantly, while the other, a Morobean, is still recovering from his injury.  

“Police were called in to disperse the students near the school grounds following a fight this (yesterday) morning,” a police source familiar with the matter said.

“No arrests have been made but police are investigating the matter,” he said.

Punumping denied that a student was injured saying the victim was an “outsider”.

He said the victim had joined the students in the fight and was stabbed.

Punumping confirmed the fight was among Grade 10 students of the school.

“I do not know the cause of the fight. We are still trying to work out if the fight stemmed from last year’s school fight,” Punumping said.

He said he could not establish if cult groups existed in the school and were responsible for the fights plaguing the school.

“Yes, we will apply the normal school rules. Students will be suspended for their part in the fighting,” Punumping said.

“But carrying weapons such and knives and guns and injuring people is a criminal matter and will be left to the police and courts,” he said.

Punumping said classes were suspended due to the incident and students were told to return on Monday.

He urged parents to escort their children to school and pick them up after until the matter was under control. 

Bugandi is one of the country’s oldest schools and has produced many highly educated people.