Police pressed murder charges against the five 10th-grade students, and took them into custody on Friday, 28 February. They stated that the accused used weapons, including a truncheon and a nunchaku, for the attack.
Published Mar 01, 2025 | 2:56 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 01, 2025 | 2:56 PM
Muhammed Shahabas. (Supplied)
Synopsis: Muhammed Shahabas, a 10th-grade student from Thamarassery, died on 1 March after a violent clash between students. The fight stemmed from a dispute during a farewell event. Five students were arrested, and murder charges were pressed. Shahabas’ family suspects adult involvement. The state government has launched an investigation, with police examining social media and CCTV footage.
Muhammed Shahabas, a tenth-grade student, in Kerala’s Thamarassery, succumbed to serious injuries on the afternoon of Saturday, 1 March. He was injured in the fight between the students of MJ Higher Secondary School and Thamarassery GVHSS following a dispute during a farewell event at a tuition centre last Sunday.
On Sunday, after the initial alteration, the teachers intervened, but the tensions escalated through WhatsApp messages, leading to a violent clash near a tuition centre on Thursday evening.
The fatal clash erupted near a tea stall on the Thamarassery-Vezhupur road around 6:30 pm on Thursday. Though locals and shopkeepers intervened to disperse the fighting students, the violence resumed later on the road. During the altercation, Muhammad Shahabas was severely beaten, suffering a fatal head injury.
Police pressed murder charges against the five 10th-grade students, and took them into custody on Friday, 28 February. They stated that the accused used weapons, including a truncheon and a nunchaku, for the attack.
Since they are minors, the accused were presented before the Juvenile Justice Board and will be shifted to the Government Observation Home for Boys, Vellimadukunnu.
As the accused are SSLC students and the exam is approaching, they will be provided with the opportunity to study and attend the examinations.
Shahabas was an SSLC student of MJ Higher Secondary School, and the accused were SSLC students of Thamarassery GVHSS.
Though Shahabas was not a student at the tuition centre, he was called to the venue while running an errand. Following the attack, he was taken home by a friend.
Initially unaware of the attack, his family suspected drug use when they found him weak at home. Upon learning the truth, he was rushed to Thamarassery Taluk Hospital and later shifted to Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital.
Doctors confirmed severe internal injuries around his head, ear, and eye, though no external wounds were found.
Shahabas was the elder son of Iqbal and Ramseena. His father, Mohammed Iqbal, speaking to the media, claimed the attack was premeditated and carried out by adults, not students.
“The attackers intended to eliminate him. This was not just a fight between students,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, the police are reported to have accessed an Instagram chat that called for the killing of Shahabas. The chat, which is now under police scrutiny, suggests that Shahabas could be killed in a mob attack and if it happens, it would not attract any legal consequences.
The police are examining more CCTV footage to identify the involvement of external elements and the potential role of social media instigation in the crime.
The state government has launched a probe into the incident. Minister for General Education and Employment V Sivankutty expressed grief over the incident and assured strict action.
“The police are conducting a strong investigation. The Deputy Director of Education, Kozhikode, has submitted a preliminary report, and the Director of Public Education has been tasked with a detailed departmental inquiry,” the minister stated in a press release on Saturday.
The authorities are expected to take further action based on the findings of the investigations.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
