At least 22 students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya fled from their hostel following ragging by senior students in Assam's Hailakandi district, official sources said today.

Two class nine students were allegedly locked up in a toilet last evening by senior students as a part of ragging after which a fight broke out between students of both classes.

After the fight, the students, belonging to both classes, fearing reprisal from the school authorities ran away from the hostel last night.

The students were traced today to the railway station and other places of Hailakandi town from where they were brought back to the school.

The junior students alleged that they were regularly being ragged by senior students for the past several months.

The school authorities have suspended 21 senior students in connection with the incident.