VIJAYAWADA: Reviving Vijayawada’s past notorious reputation of frequent gang rivalries, two groups of students fought a pitched battle with knives and sticks on the streets of the city on Sunday. The visuals of the frightening student gang war in the thriving business hub are going viral on social media and have sent waves of shock and panic in the city.

Trouble broke out after two groups of students in Patamata locality began pelting stones at each other. Soon, it took a turn for the worse as members of the two groups brandished knives and started chasing rival members and attacking them at will. Even as the scene of fight resembled a battleground, residents of the locality suffered bouts of panic and shut themselves inside their houses as they feared for their lives.

Scores of students from both the groups were reported to have sustained grievous injuries in the mindless fight. They were all rushed to a private hospital where they are currently being treated. Even though the exact reason for the gang war is not immediately known, police and some sections of the public are not ruling out the possibility of political parties having their influence over these groups leading to the incident. Some of the students involved in Sunday’s gang war were reported to be associated with a few political parties.

Police have registered a case and the investigation is on. Suspicions are rife that the latest incident could be a fallout of a turf war that has been simmering for quite some time as both the groups reportedly want to gain a stranglehold on some areas of the city.