College students involved in a clash were made to write couplets of saint-poet Thiruvalluvar as punishment by police in Tamil Nadu.

The incident happened on Sunday during a procession of elephants at the annual festival for Lord Ayyappa at Madukkarai. At the venue, a verbal duel broke out among the youngsters and soon led to fisticuffs. People informed the police, who rushed to the spot and took 10 youths, later identified as students, to the local police station.

Considering their future if a case was filed, the police said they taught the students “a good but seemingly bitter lesson”. They made the youths write at least 50 of the verses from the 1,330 kurals, or couplets of seven words each, of Thiruvalluvar.

The students could barely pen down 10 or 12 of the couplets at the police station. Knowing well that it was a long way to go for them, the police let the students go.