RAWALPINDI, Oct 3: Armed men injured six students and a guard by opening fire outside a private college on Sixth Road over a petty issue on Monday, spreading panic in the entire area.

Hundreds of students leaving the educational institutions that line the road at that time ran helter-skelter as gunshots rang out in the air. However, the stampede caused no mishap.

Israr Khan, a student of I.Com at Jinnah Institute, in his statement told the police that he was leaving the college along with other students when a car in which four persons were riding stopped in front of the gate. “One of the car riders opened fire at us, injuring me and six other students,” he added. The armed men also targeted the college's private security guard, Firdous Khattak, and injured him after he tried to stop them from entering the college.

The injured student, a resident of Kartarpura, identified the attackers as Raja Noomi, Talat Bhatti, Moeen Abbasi and Omer Abbas as accused in the FIR.

“Raja Noomi shouted at me that he would teach me a lesson and then opened fire,” said the student.

When contacted, the college principal, Masood Sultan, said it all happened when the morning shift students were leaving the building and those in the evening shift were coming in.

He said: “The motive behind the incident was an old dispute between the student Israr Khan and some street boys. However, some other students were also slightly injured in the attack. Later, they were allowed to go home after the first aid.”

Faizullah Khan, the father of Israr Khan, however, disputed the police and the college principal's claim that there had been an old dispute between his son and the attackers. He added: “My son does not know who the attackers were and he had no dispute with them.”

The students and the security guard who sustained minor injuries after being hit by bullet pellets were taken to Holy Family Hospital from where they were allowed to go home after first aid.

On the complaint of Israr Khan, the New Town police registered a case against the accused and are investigating the case.