14 students detained for attempt to hijack bus

CHENNAI: The city police on Wednesday detained 14 students of Government Arts College, Nandanam, after they attempted to hijack a bus heading to Guindy near Tenyampet to celebrate the banned 'bus day'.
Police said a group of students climbed atop the bus while the others entered the vehicle to commandeer it, to the alarm of the passengers. A large posse of policemen wielding lathis stopped the bus and caught 14 of the students.The others managed to escape.
Senior officers deployed additional policemen at the spot to thwart the rowdy students from attempting to hijack other buses. Police detained all 14 students at the Guindy police station. Police later let them off with a warning.
Police said most of the students involved in the ruckus on Wednesday were in the second year of degree courses. "We have identified them from security camera footage," a police officer said.
A large number of policemen remained at Nandanam Arts College and on Anna Salai till Wednesday evening to prevent any untoward incident.
The city police expect more disruptions this week from students of certain colleges looking to create trouble by celebrating bus day. "We will be prepared for them. They will not get away if they create trouble," the officer said.
He said police have maintained a dossier on students who they detained for hijacking buses, causing problems for commuters and destroying public property.
There was a two-day standoff last year between students and police, who cracked down on bus day celebrations. After receiving a tip, police had last November detained 14 students who attempted to take over a bus and seized weapons from them.