Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore (GA)

Mangalore, Feb 28: Fourteen students of the University College (formerly Government College) at Hampankatta here were arrested on Monday February 27 for playing holi in the college without the permission of the authorities. 

The incident started with some students beginning to play 'Holi' by sprinkling colours on the students without having taken permission either from the management or principal.  Even the other students did not have any inclination regarding this.  So most of them objected to it.

When the matter was brought to the notice of the principal, he too objected to their playing 'Holi' in the college campus.  Enraged by this, the boys sprinkled colours even on lecturers.  This created unwanted commotion in the college.  In the meantime some of the students even broke the window glass of the library.

When the situation grew out of control, the Pandeshwar police were summoned to the place.  But some of the students started fighting with the police on the pretext that the latter were interfering unnecessarily in the college matters.  At this point, the police arrested 14 students.

Later on when the arrested students were interrogated, they said that since college would have holidays around the Holi festival, they decided to celebrate Holi on Monday.  But it paved way for confusion and turmoil.  The police said that all the arrested are final year graduation students.

Educationists from other colleges, when asked to comment by this correspondent, expressed outrage that the students should ever think of playing Holi inside the campus. It is not allowed in any institution, they insisted. A senior academic felt that the far-from-reality scenes of Holi revelry shown in Bollywood movies and Tellywood serials could have inspired the boys to decide to have a go at it.