By Isaac Nuwagaba

 

POLICE in Kabale has suspended 120 students and arrested 13 others for allegedly inciting fellow students at St. Mary’s College Rushoroza in Kabale Municipality to stage a violent strike in which property worth millions was destroyed.

 

The S5 students were suspended following Wednesday’s violent clashes with S6 students stemming from teasing and bullying that has reportedly been secretly going on ever since they reported to school.

 

In the ensuing fight school property worth millions of shillings was destroyed according to Kabale District acting Police Commander Augustine Nakitari.

 

Remegio Byamukama, the head teacher said the school administration learnt of the brewing disagreement when matters came to a head on Wednesday.

 

“The disagreements are said to have been started by two students in each of the classes prompting those of Senior Five to move in and plan an attack on those of senior six,” Byamukama said.

 

He also said that the school administration held a meeting with both parties and relative calm returned to the school shortly before the warring parties resumed the fight which turned chaotic.

 

The situation, Byamukama added, “went out of control after evening prep time when the Senior five students decided to block the Senior Six students from accessing the dormitories sparking off running battles which were only limited to the male students.”

 

Nakitari, the Police chief adds that during the confusion, students destroyed glasses for the dormitories and part of the school fence.

 

“Police used Live Bullets to calm down the situation which then erupted again in the wee hours of Thursday morning at around 3 Am as some students who had fled returned to school,” he revealed.

 

By press time, police were trying to get information concerning about other ringleaders students who were behind the fight, as the damage caused was alarming.

 

He added that the police thereafter sealed off the school premises ordering all the students to enter their dormitories.

 

Sabiti Baabo, the Kabale district Education Officer regretted the matter, saying that education authorities passed a resolution that every student involved in violent strikes should answer as an individual in the courts of law.