Injured in clash over farewell party, Class 10 student dies in Kerala; 5 minors booked
A 15-year-old Class 10 student in Kerala’s Kozhikode district, who had suffered severe head injuries after allegedly being attacked by other students following an incident at a farewell party, succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning.
Muhammed Shahabas, who studied at M J Higher Secondary School, Elettil, had been injured in a clash between two groups of students outside a private tuition centre in Thamarassery on Thursday. He passed away at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode.
K E Baiju, Superintendent of Police, Kozhikode Rural, said a murder case has been registered against five Class 10 students of Govt Vocational Higher Secondary School, Thamarassery.
“After the incident, an attempt to murder case was registered against the five students and they were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, which allowed them to leave with their parents. With the death of the victim, the charges were changed to murder. The parents were asked to produce these students again before the Juvenile Justice Board,” SP Baiju said.
“We are looking into the involvement of more students. WhatsApp group messages among the students show that more students were aware of the issue. All of them will figure in the list of the accused. The police are also looking into whether adults were involved in the attack,” the SP added.
According to the police, students of both schools attended classes at the tuition centre. Last Sunday, the students held a farewell party as the Class 10 exams are set to begin on March 3. During the function, when the students of M J Higher Secondary School were staging a dance, a section of students from the Govt Vocational Higher Secondary School allegedly booed at the performance.
This allegedly prompted the students to plan revenge. According to the police, WhatsApp groups were formed to mobilise more students, and on Thursday, the students of both schools clashed near the same tuition centre. The clash was captured on CCTV.
Shahabas, who was at home, was allegedly taken to the spot by a friend. He sustained serious injuries and was allegedly left near his house. On Thursday night, he was admitted to a local hospital from where he was shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode.
“He had gone out to buy snacks when one of the students took him to the scene of the clash. Brutally assaulted by the students of the other school, Shahabas was abandoned at home by a friend. He could not speak. He did not answer our queries and started vomiting. He was on ventilator support,” one of his relatives told the media.
Following the incident, several voice messages were leaked from the student groups purportedly revealing the students rejoicing over the attack.
State Education Minister V Sivankutty said the education department would conduct an inquiry into the student’s death. “The director general of education has been told to conduct a departmental inquiry,” he said.
