Protests Erupt Over Shahabas Murder Accused Allowed To Take SSLC Exams
Thamarassery, Kerala: A farewell event at Triz Tuition Centre turned violent after students of MJ Higher Secondary School and Thamarassery GVHSS clashed outside, leading to a tenth-grader’s death. Muhammed Shahabas succumbed to fatal injuries he had incurred on March 1. Following his death, five tenth-grade students were arrested on charges of murder on February 28.
The five accused, students of Thamarassery GVHSS, were allowed to study and attend the SSLC exams under police protection.
Protests erupted outside the juvenile detention centre on Monday with activists from Youth Congress, KSU and MSF leading the agitation. Agitators from the MSF and KSU were detained and moved into a police vehicle after refusing to disperse.
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They were presented before the Juvenile Justice Board and will be moved to the Government Observation Home for Boys, Vellimadukunnu until March 15, 2025.
“My son, who should have been writing the exam today, is lying six feet under. He was our hope. A student is banned for a year even for copying, but the murder accused will write the exam as if nothing happened. The authorities should have barred them from taking the exam for at least a year to set an example,” Shahabas’ father said, as quoted by OnManorama.
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The Thamassery Incident: What Happened?
The incident was reportedly triggered during a dance performance when some students from Thamarassery GVHSS mocked students from the other school.
While the teachers had intervened after an initial argument between the students, the situation escalated and led to a violent clash between the students near a tea stall on the Thamarassery-Vezhupur road on the evening of February 27.
Despite the attempts of locals and shopkeepers to disperse the students, the violence resumed. Shahabas was severely beaten and suffered a fatal head injury. He was a student of MJ Higher Secondary School.
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As per reports, he was not a student at the tuition centre and was called to come there by a friend who later took him to his home after the attack.
According to reports, Shahabas suffered from a skull fracture below his right ear, caused by a hard weapon; he had deep wounds on his nose and under his left eye with severe bruising, along with internal bleeding around his chest.
Kozhikode Rural SP KE Baiju confirmed that the attack was a well-planned act, reported South First. The SP had revealed that WhatsApp conversations of the accused students suggest prior planning.
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The police have also found the weapon used in the crime. CCTV footage is also reportedly being investigated. While the parents of Shahabas allege that adults were also involved in facilitating the attack, the police have not yet found evidence suggesting the same.
The Kerala government has launched a probe into the matter. The Deputy Director of Education, Kozhikode, has submitted a preliminary report, and the Director of Public Education has been tasked with a detailed departmental inquiry, said V Sivankutty, the Minister for General Education and Employment.
