KOZHIKODE: One more student was taken into police custody and sent to the Observation Home in Vellimadukunnu on Tuesday in connection with the murder of Class 10 student Muhammad Shahabaz in Thamarassery.
With this, the number of students accused in the case has gone up to six. Police found that the sixth student was also involved in the gang attack on Shahabaz.
The accused, who is studying in Class 10 at Government Vocational Higher Secondary School Thamarassery in Korangad, was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, and was allowed to write the SSLC exam. Six students of GVHSS Thamarassery have been taken into custody in the case. A murder charge has been filed against them.
After examining the CCTV footage from nearby areas and the Instagram chats of the accused and their friends, the police found that a sixth student was also involved in the attack on Shahabaz. The attack was planned using an Instagram group consisting of 62 people.
Police have started a detailed investigation into the discussions inciting violence on the Instagram group ‘Team Hermilans’ formed by the accused. After beating up Shahabaz, the accused reached the parking area of a mall. The police have collected CCTV footage from there too. The police are also planning to take more students who were engaged in the clash into custody.
Fifteen-year-old Shahabaz lost his life in a clash between students of MJ Higher Secondary School, Elettil Vattoli, and GVHSS Thamarassery following a dispute at a tuition centre in the area.
On February 23, a send-off party was organised for Class 10 students at the Triz Tuition Centre in Thamarassery. The dance performance of the students of MJ Higher Secondary School, where Shahabaz studied, was interrupted due to technical issues.
Following this, the students of GVHSS Thamarassery mocked them and shouted. This led to an argument and a clash between the students of both schools. The problem was resolved only after the intervention of the tuition centre staff.
However, on Thursday, February 27, students from both schools clashed again near the tuition centre, which included students outside the tuition centre.
During the clash, Shahabaz suffered a serious head injury. He died on Saturday morning while undergoing treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. The postmortem revealed that he died due to brain and skull injury in the attack.
Later the police took five students of GVHSS Thamarassery into custody. There were widespread protests against the decision of the Juvenile Justice Board to allow the students to write the SSLC exam. Several student organisations, including MSF and KSU, have announced protests in the coming days too.