KOCHI: For a moment, grief clouded reality. “I cannot see him. Get up. Come, let’s go,” his friend pleaded, breaking down before Abhiram’s lifeless body.
The 17-year-old’s suspected murder is among a series of incidents that have renewed scrutiny on the involvement of minors in serious criminal activities in Keralam. Police officers point to the worrying combination of peer influence, social-media exposure, drug networks and apparent familiarity with legal protections available to juveniles contributing to the recent wave.
Speaking to TNIE, ADGP P Vijayan said the force is strengthening surveillance and preventive measures, focusing on underage driving, drunken driving and juveniles associated with criminal gangs. “We are identifying those below 18 who drive vehicles, particularly those involved in drunken driving. We are also monitoring adolescents who associate with gangsters or glorify them on social media,” he said.
The police are preparing lists of such juveniles and deploying shadow personnel around educational institutions to track students who skip classes, frequent hideouts or are suspected of using drugs.
Under Operation GRIP, police are also examining links between known goonda gangs and juveniles working as their associates.
The nature of exposure of adolescents has changed considerably, raising concerns about whether existing assumptions about their maturity and understanding of consequences reflect present-day realities, Thiruvananthapuram commissioner Arul R B Krishna said.
Pointing to the influence of peer groups and social media, Arul said individuals involved in antisocial activities are often glorified online, prompting adolescents to imitate their behaviour and perceive criminal activities as acts of heroism.
The commissioner also flagged instances of juveniles becoming habitual offenders while invoking protections available in juvenile justice legislation.
Requesting anonymity, an officer associated with the investigation into Abhiram’s murder said the prime accused had repeatedly questioned why protections under the Juvenile Justice Act were not being extended to him.
“He has voiced no regret for the crime. His only concern are protections he believes he is entitled to,” the officer said.
Similar concerns have emerged in the Karuvatta murder case in Alappuzha, where a 13-year-old girl was allegedly involved in planning the murder of her grandfather.
