COIMBATORE: A 17-year-old Class 12 student in Erode was allegedly assaulted and beaten to death by two other students of the same school in a purported clash over talking to girls.
The Erode Town police on Thursday arrested two students studying at a government higher secondary school in the district on the charge of murder and other sections. They were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and subsequently sent to an observation home in Coimbatore district.
According to the Erode North Police, Adhithya, the deceased, was a Biology Group student of Class 12. The two arrested students, also aged 17, were from two different sections of the same class.
According to police, after Adhithya’s father Siva dropped him at school on Wednesday, the boy and two of his friends bunked class and went outside.
Police sources said Adhithya had informed his father a week earlier about a quarrel with students from other sections, who had allegedly warned him against speaking to girl students from their class.
As per eyewitnesses, the clash between Adhithya and others happened about 200 metres from the school premises around 5.15 pm on Wednesday. Adhithya was allegedly attacked by a group led by the two accused.
Victim, accused drunk at time of clash: Cops
Locals who saw the incident alerted his father, and the boy was rushed to the Erode Government Hospital in an unconscious state and was declared brought dead at the hospital. Though Adhithya came to school in uniform, when he was assaulted, he was found wearing casual clothes. Sources said he may have carried a spare set of clothes in his bag to change out of his uniform.
Adhithya’s father Siva is a private firm employee, and mother Sathya works at a textile showroom. The couple has a younger daughter studying in Class 7 at the same school.
Following a complaint from Siva, police launched an inquiry. Based on statements from Adhithya’s friends and other students, the two students were picked up for questioning and were later arrested on Thursday evening. A police officer said, “Initial findings suggest that the assault was triggered by an ongoing ego clash between the students. The victim and the accused were allegedly in an inebriated state at the time of the incident.”
As per postmortem findings, there were no major external injuries on Adhithya’s body apart from a contusion below his left eye.
Meanwhile, Adhithya’s family members and relatives staged a protest in front of the Erode North police station on Thursday, demanding swift action against all those involved.
Further investigation is under way to identify whether more students were involved in the assault.
Told dad about fight a week ago
Adhithya had informed his dad a week earlier about a quarrel with students from other sections, who had allegedly warned him over speaking to girl students of their class. The boys were in an inebriated state during the clash