The case highlights serious concerns about BEVCO selling alcohol to minors, raising questions about the enforcement of age verification.
Published Aug 31, 2025 | 3:53 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 31, 2025 | 3:53 PM
Alcohol. Representative Image. (iStock)
Synopsis: A school student in Kerala is in critical condition after consuming half a litre of undiluted liquor following a dare from friends. The boy, suffering convulsions and respiratory complications due to food entering his lungs, is now on ventilator support at the hospital.
A Class 12 student of Government Vocational Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram of Kerala is in critical condition after consuming half a litre of undiluted liquor following a dare from friends, sources said on Sunday, 31 August.
The incident took place at an under-construction house in Althara Junction in Thiruvanathapuram during the Onam celebrations, where seven underage students from different schools had gathered.
The students had bought two half-litre bottles of alcohol and a beer from a Kerala State Beverages Corporation Limited (BEVCO) outlet in Plamoodu, pooling money to pay for it.
After purchasing liquor from a BEVCO outlet in Plamoodu, the students gathered at the spot, where, upon a dare, the boy chugged an entire bottle of alcohol.
Soon after drinking, the boy collapsed. Another student alerted the Museum Police, who arrived at the scene and rushed him to the Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
The boy, suffering convulsions and respiratory complications due to food entering his lungs, is now on ventilator support at the hospital.
The police have not filed any FIR yet since all seven involved in the incident are minors.
The case highlights serious concerns about BEVCO selling alcohol to minors, raising questions about the enforcement of age verification. Authorities have urged the school to increase supervision during festivals and called on parents to monitor their children closely.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman.)
