Sahbe Alam alias Nate (42) died after being shot in the head by a troop of students from Udai Pratap College when they were fleeing after attacking a trader in Bhojubir area.

The clash dates back to Wednesday when a group of students from the college had a brawl with a bus conductor over a petty dispute. One of the traders in Bhojubir, Sunil Yadav, was threatened with dire consequences when he tried to intervene.

A group of students armed with rods, hockey sticks and fire arms returned on Friday morning and attacked Sunil Yadav at his shop.

When the locales tried to help Sunil out, the students started firing. The locales retaliated by pelting stones at the students, who then backed out. But while escaping, the students kept firing at the traders, which was when the auto-rickshaw driver Sahbe Alam, a resident of Orderly Bazar area, was killed on the spot.

On their way to the college campus, the students also set afire a scooter near the post office and hurled stones and bombs outside. The locals, including the traders, responded by pelting stones and damaged a UPSRTC bus and an empty school vehicle.

Sunil Yadav, the injured trader, has been admitted to the Deen Dayal Upadhayay Hospital. His father Lakshman alleged that the students of Udai Pratap College regularly terrorise residents and traders of the area, just like they did today. He also claimed that the students who attacked Sunil also looted Rs 3,000 in cash from the shop.

Police and PAC personnel, led by SSP S B Shirodkar and SP (City) Rajiv Malhotra reached the spot, and in the lathicharge that ensued, some students and traders were injured.

Even as tension prevailed in the area, a group of locals, including Sahbe Alam’s widow Sabina and three of her five children tried to block the road by keeping the driver’s body on the road.

The police had to resort to lathicharge to clear the road, in which Sabina and her son Asim (15) suffered injuries.

SP (City) Rajiv Malhotra told The Indian Express that police and PAC personnel have been deployed in the area to deal with any eventuality. He added that the situation was tense but under control.

“We have identified the students who set off the entire thing and shot the driver. They will be arrested soon.”