KOZHIKODE: A year-old, trivial disagreement over school ‘dress code’ has culminated in violence, as a gang of six Class 10 students lured and assaulted a Class 9 student recently inside Vattoli National Higher Secondary School, leaving him hospitalised with serious head injuries. The victim, 15-year-old K V Sharon, was rushed to Nadapuram Government Hospital after the attack, where doctors immediately treated multiple wounds, requiring stitches to his head.
The assault, which occurred around 1 pm on Friday, was meticulously planned. According to the complaint, Sharon was called from the playground by two seniors and led to a secluded classroom. It was there that the six-member gang trapped him and attacked him. In the complaint, the victim stated that the assailants “kicked his ear and used a sharp ring to stab his head.”
The assault stemmed from a seemingly insignificant event. The seeds of the violence were sown during the previous year’s Onam festivities, when Sharon was in Class 8. His class was allegedly threatened because the seniors felt their self-chosen ‘dress code’ had been copied by the younger students. This minor infraction became a source of ongoing, bitter vengeance against Sharon.
The victim’s relatives confirmed they had attempted to resolve the issue, raising warnings during a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meeting. Yet, the hostility festered. Sharon’s father spoke out, his voice laced with anguish and condemnation for the system’s failure to protect his son:
“They held a grudge towards my son for more than a year. We had given multiple complaints to the authorities over time, but sufficient action was not taken. That is what has led to the current situation.”