BETTIAH, Nov. 1 -- Tension gripped an engineering college campus in Motihari on Saturday after first-year and third-year students clashed over the bursting of firecrackers, prompting authorities to declare an early festival-induced holiday for a section of the student body, officials said. According to college authorities, the situation escalated on Friday evening when third-year students, who were preparing for examinations, objected to the frequent bursting of firecrackers by first-year students on the Motihari campus, leading to a clash between the two groups. "There is a report of the clash between groups. We are looking into the matter," said Abhishek Kumar, a probationary deputy superintendent of police (DSP). Officials said that the students on Friday staged a dharna by the junior students over the treatment meted out to them by the senior students. "A police team persuaded the students to end their protest. The situation was resolved and students were pacified," said a police officer. In the meantime, the college authorities announced an early festival vacation for the junior students....