(MENAFN - Jordan Times) Seven students and a professor were injured on Wednesday in a brawl at Mutah University in Karak, prompting the university's administration to suspend lectures and the dean of Students Affairs to submit his resignation.
The students, belonging to two tribes from Karak Governorate, 130 kilometres south of Amman, used guns, knives, and stones in the brawl, during which the dean's deputy was stabbed as he was trying to intervene, according to university officials.
The brawl first started on Sunday, and was brought under control by the administration and campus security personnel.
However, the brawl was re-ignited on Monday when the students gathered their relatives studying at the university, according to Qablan Majali, the university's vice president, who said more than 50 students were involved in the fight, during which three were injured as well as four of the university's security personnel.
Campus security managed to bring the brawl under control, but classes were suspended and the campus was evacuated for the sake of students' safety.
Dean of Students Affairs Musleh Tarawneh told The Jordan Times that the situation on Wednesday was "uncontrollable".
"The number of security personnel working at the university is not enough to control such situations and above all, they do not have the authority to stop such brawls," Tarawneh said over the phone.
"As a result, the fights are taking a different course now, where students bring weapons to the campus," he noted.
"The situation in general is bad at the university; it has financial difficulties" there is no support from the government's side, and we were unable to hire additional security personnel," Tarawneh said.
The dean said he submitted his resignation immediately because "the deanship at any university is responsible for following up on students affairs, not intervening in fights as in Mutah University".
He also noted that the students involved in the fight were responsible for the majority of the violent incidents witnessed on campus over the last three years
Meanwhile, Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Mohammad Khatib told The Jordan Times that investigations are under way into the brawl.
He also denied some news reports claiming that some university students died.
"No deaths were reported and even those who were hurt had superficial injuries and some of them have already left the hospital," Khatib told The Jordan Times.
He added that the students also set fire to the grass and wooden chairs and Civil Defence Department personnel contained the blaze.
The police official also stressed that Gendarmerie forces were sent to the area surrounding the university, but did not enter the campus.
Also on Wednesday, tribal leaders from Karak condemned the latest incidents in the university, the Jordan News Agency, Petra reported.
In a statement, they called on the government to stand firmly against those responsible for the brawl and take legal action against them.
They also voiced concern that there could be foreign agendas behind the frequent violence witnessed in universities.
