MANGALURU: Eighteen II PU students of Vittal PU College, around 30 km from here, were, on Tuesday, suspended for creating a scene on campus over an alleged inter-faith 'love affair' between two students.

Confirming the development, a senior staff member of the college told TOI that a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy were reportedly in love. Three months ago when college authorities got wind of the romance, the parents were informed and both students warned. The case was being monitored, the staff member revealed.

However, last weekend during the College Day celebrations some of the students brought it to the notice of the principal that the two students were still 'romantically involved'.

On Monday, when lecturers were searching the bags of students to check for cellphones, they allegedly found a love letter in the girl student's bag addressed to the boy.

The girl's parents were called and she was asked to come to the college only to write the exams in March. The boy was absent that day.

When the boy returned to college the following day, he was reportedly heckled by some students over the 'love affair' and the letter being found. Before the incident could take an unpleasant turn, the principal intervened and called the parents of all the students, who were friends of the boy and girl and involved in the fracas on campus, and suspended them.

All the 18 students have been asked to come to college only to write the final exams in March. They can also appear for other exams including preparatory. They will be provided the necessary notes and, if required, online classes too will be held for them, college authorities said.

The Vittal incident followed the recent suspension of four engineering students for dancing to a popular Bollywood number wearing the burqa during an event in their college in Mangaluru. The college took swift action after netizens flagged the dance as "inappropriate and obscene".