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Conti, Katanga clash: Students injured, property destroyed in KNUST

Some students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), have been injured after an alleged misunderstanding broke out between some members of the University Hall [Katanga] and the Unity Hall, (Conti).

Entrance to KNUST campus

The incident, which happened in the early hours of Sunday, July 4, 2021, occurred during a vetting process for the Students Representative Council, SRC elections, held at the Great Hall of the University.

According to eyewitnesses, the students also vandalized some school property such as chairs and glasses.

The Public Relations Officer of the Students Representative Council at KNUST, Caleb Asamoah Temeng, who was at the Great Hall, narrated to Accra based Citi Fm how the incident happened.

According to him, “It all started with the usual processions by the two halls in support of their various candidates from the halls to the Great Hall before the vetting starts. When the ‘Katangees’ arrived, there was some sort of confusion between them and the Continentals. One gentleman believed to be part of the management team of an aspirant from Conti was preventing the ‘Katangees’ from entering the Hall. This caused the first chaos between the two sides.”

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The ‘Katangees’ suspected the said gentleman was from Conti, and allegedly beat him up for preventing them from entering into the Great Hall with their procession.

It also alleged that the yet-to-be-identified management team member of the aspirant had a bottle in his possession that broke and cut his fingers and other parts of his body – injuring him during the altercation.

The second leg of the clash was when the Electoral Commission decided to postpone the vetting due to the rowdy nature of the two sides.

While the vetting of one of the aspirants who is said to be neither from the camp of Katanga nor Conti, but a top aspirant in the elections was in session, the process was being disrupted by the excessive noise from the chanting of both the Conti and Katanga procession groups who had massed up outside the auditorium.

“……it is believed that the Continentals first threw a bottle of urine in the direction of where the ‘Katangees’ had gathered. So, the ‘Katangees’ also retaliated. The exchange was followed by the destruction of chairs in the great hall,” Caleb Asamoah Temeng mentioned.

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Adding that “The fight broke, it was very bizarre. Someone even threw a machete, which is suspected to have hurt someone. There were knives and other weapons that were used to attack members of the halls involved. I can say there are both minor and major injuries that need urgent medical attention.”

In the meantime, security personnel on campus have moved in to restore calm and prevent further destruction of the school’s property.

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