Class 10 student from Kerala’s Kozhikode dies after group clash, Minister orders inquiry

Kerala Minister seeks report on death of student after clash, police investigating, five students in custody.

Kerala General Education Minister V. Sivankutty has sought a report from the Director, General Education, on the death of a Class X student from Kozhikode on Saturday (March 1, 2025) after he was brutally assaulted during a clash between two groups of students at Thamarassery in the district on February 27.

Mohammed Shahabas, 15, succumbed to the injuries he suffered during the clash, at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, early in the morning. He was a student of a government-aided school at Elettil.

The Minister said in a release that the police are investigating the incident and the Deputy Director of Education, Kozhikode, has submitted a preliminary report on it.

Meanwhile, voice clips recorded in social media groups have gone viral in which some of the students talk about “finishing Shahabas” and others say the police would not register any case if “someone was killed in a clash.”

According to sources, the clash on February 27 occurred between a group from the Elettil school and another group from a government school in Thamarassery. This was reportedly a fallout of an altercation that happened on February 23 at a private tuition centre at Thamarassery where some of them were studying.

Though Shahabas was not a student there, he was reportedly persuaded by some of his friends to join them. He suffered injuries to his head during the incident. Shabas was initially admitted to the government taluk hospital and later the medical college hospital.

The police have taken into custody five students in connection with the incident. Since all of them are minors, they have been asked to appear before the Juvenile Justice Board.