MANGALURU: Police in Mangaluru have arrested five second-year college students on charges of ragging and physically assaulting two first-year students near Gujjarakere. The confrontation reportedly erupted after the senior students objected to the juniors' attire, specifically their choice of footwear.

According to investigators, the victims—identified as Adarsh, a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) student, and J. Khadar, a Hospital Management student—were confronted by a group of seniors near a local tea stall. The senior students allegedly took issue with the freshers wearing black shoes, claiming it violated an informal dress code they sought to enforce on campus.

When the victims resisted, the verbal altercation quickly turned physical. Adarsh sustained serious neck injuries during the assault and was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with a neck fracture. Both victims and the accused students are natives of Kerala.

The accused—all second-year diploma students specializing in logistics—were taken into custody following statements recorded from the injured students at the hospital. While five suspects have been formally arrested, police are currently verifying the involvement of a sixth student mentioned in the victims' complaint.

"Preliminary findings indicate that this was an attempt by senior students to impose arbitrary dress restrictions on junior students, which escalated into violence," said Mangaluru City Police Commissioner C.H. Sudheer Kumar Reddy. "We initially registered an assault case based on the visible injuries, but following detailed statements from the victims, provisions of the Karnataka Prohibition of Ragging Act have been invoked in the FIR at the Pandeshwar (Mangaluru South) Police Station."

College management officials stated that strict disciplinary measures, including suspension pending police investigations, will be initiated against the accused students. Further investigation is ongoing.