Eight people, including the director and deputy CEO of Roorkee Institute of Technology (RIT), have been taken into custody in connection with the alleged assault on two African students on its campus recently, a senior police officer said on Friday.

RIT Director Parag Jain, its Deputy CEO Shrikant and six security guards Yogesh, Khushiram, Sonu, Ashish, Lalit and Munendra Chauhan have been taken into custody in connection with the incident which took place on Wednesday, Circle Officer Manglaur Abhay Singh said. They are being interrogated, he said.

Though investigations were still underway, the African students were allegedly assaulted by the security guards when they entered into an argument with them after being stopped from leaving the campus, Singh said.

The students who live in the RIT hostel were not paying their fees and the management had apparently decided to restrict their movement to mount pressure on them to clear their dues, he said.

The two students who sustained injuries in the assault are admitted in a hospital nearby.