CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu government on Monday (August 17) denied that the brutal murder of a 19-year-old mechatronics engineering student in Coimbatore on August 10 was linked to drug abuse on a college campus and said the attack was a retaliatory clash arising from a senior-junior dispute.

Refuting the opposition charge of a drug-related motive behind the killing of the alleged drug whistleblower - a claim made by the opposition parties - Tamil Nadu Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar said the Coimbatore student's murder was a result of a clash between the fourth year students and second year students, due to previous enmity.

Responding to a "calling attention" motion, the minister said the student who was assaulted succumbed on the way to hospital.

"Two cases were registered and a case under SCT was also included. The body was handed over to his parents following postmortem. About 15 people were arrested in connection with the murder and remanded," Kumar explained amidst uproarious scenes in the Assembly.