A scuffle between university women kabbadi players from Tamil Nadu and Bihar during a match in Punjab on Friday snowballed into a major incident.

Officials from the Tamil Nadu government had to intervene to ensure the release of a coach, who was detained by the police.

The coach was released later in the day, and the team of 36 women kabbadi players left for New Delhi on Friday. They will leave for Tamil Nadu from New Delhi on Saturday.

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, who also holds the Youth Welfare and Sports Development portfolio, said the scuffle was over a minor issue in the ‘points system’, and that there was no major injury to anyone.

He told reporters that no one had to be taken to hospital. Some suffered only minor bruises.

“All the students are safe,” he said. The 36 kabbadi players were drawn from Mother Teresa Women’s University, Periyar University and Alagappa University, along with three team managers and three coaches. They went to Bhatinda district in Punjab to take part in an inter-university event. The scuffle had occurred during the match with students from a university in Dharbanga. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had directed officials to act on the issue immediately, Mr. Udhayanidhi added.

Officials of the Tamil Nadu government and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu contacted the district administration to ensure the safety of students, he said.

BJP leader and former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and TMC(Moopanar) president G.K. Vasan condemned the incident.

In a social media post, Dr. Tamilisai said the State government should extend all support and ensure the safety of all the players.

The TMC(Moopanar) leader urged the Union and State governments to ensure the safety of the sportspersons and avoid such incidents in future.