Protests erupt over approval for accused in Shahbaz murder to sit for exams

Kozhikode: The Kerala Students' Union (KSU) has raised strong objections to allowing the students accused in the murder of 10th-grade student Shahbaz to sit for their exams. The incident took place in Thamarassery, where Shahbaz was brutally beaten to death. KSU members protested outside the Vellimadukunnu Observation Home, where the accused students are being held. The police arrested and removed the KSU activists from the location.

Among those arrested by the police were KSU District President V.T. Sooraj, State Committee member Arjun Poonath, and the District General Secretaries of the organisation.

Shahbaz’s tragic death occurred after a series of violent incidents linked to a conflict at a tuition centre last Sunday. Students from Thamarassery G.V.H.S.S. and Elettil school, who were enrolled at the tuition centre, clashed. Though Shahbaz was not a student at the tuition centre, he intervened in the matter along with his classmates from school. It was during this confrontation that Shahbaz was attacked.

The five students were presented in front of the Juvenile Justice Board and later they were remanded to the Vellimadukunnu Observation Home. The court rejected their bail applications but allowed them to sit for the SSLC exams at their respective schools. The students are required to return to the observation home after the exams.