Kollam: In the wake of the tragic electrocution death of a school student in Thevalakkara, the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) have jointly called for an education bandh in Kollam district on Thursday.

Midhun (13), an eighth standard student at Thevalakkara Boys’ School, was fatally electrocuted when he came into contact with a high-voltage power line while trying to retrieve his shoe from the roof of a bicycle shed adjacent to the school building.

KSU and other opposition student organisations have blamed the Education and Power Departments for the gross negligence that led to the boy’s death. Protests erupted on the school premises, with KSU activists demanding accountability from the school management and disciplinary action against those responsible. Locals also joined the protest, pointing out that the dangerously low-hanging electric wire had been reported multiple times, but no action was taken.

The ABVP also joined the protest and demanded that a case of murder be filed against the school authorities. It accused the school management and KSEB of serious lapses.

CCTV footage of the incident has since emerged, showing Midhun climbing onto the metal-roofed shed to retrieve his shoe. As he slipped, he grasped the exposed high-voltage three-phase line, resulting in a fatal shock. Despite the immediate response from teachers and classmates who rushed him to hospital, his life could not be saved.

The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and sought an urgent report. General Education Minister V Sivankutty has also demanded a detailed explanation.

The KSU and ABVP have declared that schools across Kollam will remain shut on Thursday in protest, with calls growing louder for criminal action against those responsible for the safety lapse.