PESHAWAR: Several students were injured after armed clash broke out between two rival groups at the University of Peshawar on Friday over the Valentine`s Day celebrations.

A source in the university administration said a student activist of Islami Jamiat Talba had suffered bullet wounds, while 13 others got minor injuries due to use of batons, iron rods and stones in the clash.

According to him, IJT, the student wing of Jamaat-i-Islami, had announced to observe the Valentine`s Day as `Haya (Modesty) Day` and therefore, its activistsgathered outside the Academic Block of the university in the morning.

In the meantime, workers of Pakhtun Students Federation turned up in a Valentine`s Day procession stirring up emotions on both sides.

In a little while, the provoked activists of the two groups began pelting each other with stones besides using batons, iron rods and stones.

The administration called in the campus police to control the situation.

In a bid to disperse crowd, policemen fired gunshots in the air and baton charged students.

However, things worsened as some students used arms against rivals and torched some rooms in the AB Block of the Abdul Wali Khan and Khushhal Khan Khattak Hostel.

The arson attack burned down blankets, books and beds in the rooms.The violent students also targeted police by throwing stones on them.

The place turned into a virtual battlefield between the two groups forcing other students, especially girls, to run for cover.

Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a spokesman for Rescue Services 1122, said the service sent several firefighters to the campus shortly after learning about the fire from the university administration over the telephone and doused the galloping flames after a hectic effort of around 45 minutes.

Akhtar Amin, spokesman for the university, said the administration had formed a four-member committee headed by Professor Merajul Islam to investigate the incident.

He said the committee would record statements of the relevant people, including students, and submit a report to the administration.

An official of the campus police said six people had been named forthe campus violence and they all were at large.

`We have registered a case against the suspects under sections 324, 148 and 149 of Pakistan Penal Code and are planning to raid their possible hideouts in the city,` he said.

The official said the injured student, Rizwanullah, had named six activists of PkSF in the FIR, while the university administration had sought registration of a separate FIR against both student groups.

During the violence, the injured student, who is enrolled in the fourth semester of the BioTechnology Department, was taken to the Khyber Teaching Hospital, who he was admitted to the orthopedic ward.

A source in the hospital said the student had suffered bullet injury on the arm elbow but his condition was out of danger.

Meanwhile, PkSF provincial chairman Imtiaz Wazir and campusunit chairman Muqarb Khan Buneri alleged in a joint statement that IJT activists had attacked the PkSF workers and torched their hostel rooms.

They criticised the university administration for not taking action against IJT over violence.

The PkSF leaders said their group had nothing to do with the firing incident and that the student was injured in a `one-sided firing.

However, IJT leader Mohammad Nawaz Khan rejected the PkSF`s claim and insisted the IJT procession to observe `Haya Day` was almost over when the PkSF workers began hooting participants besides pelting them with stones.

`IJT celebrated the Haya Day like other parts of the country and had nothing to do with the Valentine`s Day celebrations.

However, the PkSF workers opened indiscriminate fire on our peaceful procession injuring one of our activists,` he said.