COIMBATORE: A 13-year-old Class 7 student was allegedly beaten to death after a minor argument by two of his friends near Irugur in Coimbatore district. The suspects had dug a pit and buried the body to escape from the crime, police said.
The victim, a resident of New Colony in Irugur, was studying at a government school in RG Pudur. With schools closed for summer vacation, the boy had gone fishing with a group of friends near a canal close to the Masani Amman temple on May 15.
As he failed to return home, his parents launched a search and questioned two boys, aged 15 and 13, who had accompanied him earlier in the day. The two claimed that the student had left with an unidentified person, arousing suspicion.
Subsequently, the parents lodged a complaint with the Singanallur police. Following sustained interrogation, the boys confessed to the murder, police said.
Police sources said an argument broke out among the boys while they were fishing. In a fit of rage, the two minors allegedly attacked the victim on the head using an empty liquor bottle and a rock, killing him on the spot.
Fearing arrest, the accused allegedly dug a pit nearby and buried the body before returning home. Based on information provided by the juveniles, police recovered the body on Monday morning and sent it to the ESI Hospital in Singanallur for postmortem.
The Singanallur police have taken the minors into custody and registered a murder case. Further investigation is under way.
Former CM MK Stalin expressed shock and grief over the murder in a post on X. “The news that a 13-year-old schoolboy was beaten to death by his friends is heart-wrenching. Parents must constantly keep a watch on their children.”
Stalin also noted that the incident serves as a stark reminder to teachers, who have been spending a significant amount of time with students at school, and said that they must instill not only academic knowledge but also patience and love in the minds of pupils.