NEW DELHI: The tragic death of a 13-year-old student due to electrocution at Thevalakkara Boys High School in Kollam has triggered widespread protests across Kerala on Friday (July 18).
Various opposition student organisations staged marches in front of the Secretariat, at Thevalakkara High School, and outside the office of the Electricity Minister, demanding accountability for the incident.
Midhun, 13, a Class VIII student, died on Thursday after coming into contact with a live wire on the school premises while playing with classmates.
ABVP activists marched to the Secretariat demanding the resignation of the Education Minister. Police used water cannons to disperse protesters and detained around 20 ABVP members.
BJP workers held a protest march to the Palakkad office of Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty. Water cannons were used against BJP workers who attempted to breach police barricades.
Protests by RYF, KSU, and Yuva Morcha activists at Thevalakkara High School led to clashes with the police, who forcibly removed and arrested several demonstrators.
The Kerala Students Union (KSU) called for a statewide education bandh on Friday, while ABVP declared a bandh in Kollam district. In Kondotty (Malappuram district), Muslim Youth League protestors clashed with police outside the KSEB section office.
General Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Friday announced immediate actions, including the suspension of the school’s headmistress and a show-cause notice to the management.
In a related development, Kerala Minister Chinchu Rani expressed regret over her controversial remarks about the incident.
After visiting Midhun’s grieving family, the minister acknowledged her lapse in judgment and apologised, following strong backlash from within her party and across the political spectrum.
Despite being aware of the tragedy in her constituency, Minister Chinchu Rani attended a women’s meeting and took part in a Zumba session during the CPI district conference in Thrippunithura. At the event, she said:
"The accident occurred when the boy climbed onto the shed to retrieve a shoe. His foot slipped, and he grabbed a high-voltage power line.
"The electricity passed through him, and he died instantly. This isn’t the teachers’ fault. But do we realize how dangerous it can be when children climb onto such structures while playing?
"We often forget. A child went to school in the morning and returned dead. We can’t blame the teachers. He climbed up despite being warned by classmates. How many such incidents go unnoticed?"
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday strongly criticised the Kerala government for its failure to ensure student safety in schools.
In a post on social media platform X, Rahul expressed anguish over Midhun’s death: "Six years ago, I had written to the Chief Minister of Kerala urging a comprehensive infrastructure audit in schools, after the heartbreaking death of a young girl due to a snake bite inside her classroom.
"It pains me deeply that another precious life — 13-year-old Midhun Manu — has been lost due to electrocution from a sagging power line within a school compound in Kollam." - The Statesman/ANN
