‘Route thala’ culture cause of college gang rivalry in Chennai

Police, colleges to work together, keep tabs on students and coordinate with parents

Joint Commissioner of Police R. Sudhakar meeting principals of city colleges on Thursday.

The ‘route thala ’ (route leader) culture in city colleges has been identified as the chief cause of gang rivalries among students, which escalates into street fights and triggers fear among people.

“It all started in the early 1980s, when some college students took to singing tweaked lyrics of film songs of that period. Irked over this, students of other colleges came up with ‘counter songs’. The cycle took an ugly turn when both sides took to facing off on bus routes,” recalled a police officer.

‘Bus Day’ banned

Though ‘Bus Day’ celebrations have been banned in the city, under the guise of celebrating ‘Bus Day’, students are often reported to be causing inconvenience to the general public as they stand and dance on the roofs of buses. On Tuesday, things took a turn for the worse when some students from Pachaiyappa’s College attacked a rival group with iron rods on a public road in Arumbakkam. The city police have so far arrested six students for their involvement in the incident.

Joint Commissioner of Police R. Sudhakar and Deputy Commissioner of Police-Triplicane D. Suguna Singh held a meeting with principals of city colleges to find a way to rein in unruly students. Identifying the ‘route

thala ’ system as one of the causes for violence, they identified 90 students who are leaders of bus routes. They will be under the radar of police.

‘Strict action’

Mr. Sudhakar said, “About 90 students have a tendency to indulge in violence under the pretext of ‘route thala ’. We will invite their parents and inform them about their activities. Later, we will take strict action against them if they continue to engage in violence.”

The police have also asked the Metropolitan Transport Corporation management to instruct its drivers to stop the bus if they apprehend any trouble from students travelling or climbing atop buses. MTC crew have been advised to stop the vehicle at the spot and alert a control room or the local police station. The police have assured them that they will reach the spot within two minutes and handle any untoward situation.

Police officers and principals have decided to have a regular coordination meeting with parents and students. The police have also advised colleges to monitor late-comers and inform their parents.