A Class 12 student of Arignar Anna Model Higher Secondary School near Thanjavur died on 7 December 2025 after suffering severe head injuries in an alleged assault by a group of Class 11 students in Pattiswaram. Police have detained 15 students in connection with the incident and lodged them at the Juvenile Observation Home in Thanjavur.
According to police, the attack took place on 4 December 2025 at Therodum Keelvidhi (East Car Street), close to the Durga Maa shrine. The victim was reportedly confronted by a group of juniors while walking with friends. The altercation escalated, and he was allegedly beaten with wooden clubs, leaving him critically injured.
The confrontation is believed to be an extension of a quarrel that began on 3 December 2025 during the school lunch break and traces back to tensions between the same groups three months earlier. After the attack, the assailants fled as the victim collapsed unconscious.
Classmates first took the injured student to the Pattiswaram Primary Health Centre before he was shifted to a private hospital in Thanjavur. Doctors declared him “brain dead” on 5 December 2025. Despite intensive care at Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, he died around 2:30 am on 7 December 2025.
Police said the initial FIR registered under attempt-to-murder provisions will be altered to murder following completion of the post-mortem.
Following a complaint from the boy’s parents, Kumbakonam Taluk Police detained 15 Class 11 students allegedly involved in the assault. They were produced before juvenile authorities and placed in the observation home on 5 December 2025.
Additional police security has been deployed around the victim’s residence, the school, and nearby localities to prevent any escalation.
Officials confirmed that a similar scuffle had occurred between Class 11 and 12 students in September 2025, though the matter was resolved with parental intervention at the time.
Rising Concerns Over Campus Violence
The government school has nearly 1,000 students, and the incident has renewed concerns about student safety, supervision, and conflict management in educational institutions.
This case comes amid a series of violent incidents involving students across Tamil Nadu in recent months:
In November 2025, a Class 7 student at a Social Justice Hostel in Ramanathapuram was assaulted by four seniors.
In March, a Class 11 Dalit boy in Thoothukudi had three fingers severed in an attack allegedly linked to caste tensions after a kabaddi match.
Several cases involving students carrying weapons and physical assaults, both among peers and involving teachers, have been reported from schools and colleges.
Observers note that increasing aggression among adolescents, peer conflicts escalating into violence, and exposure to violent content in media may be contributing factors.
Source: Organiser
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