A day after the death of 16-year-old Mohammed Shahabas, who succumbed to injuries sustained in a school gang fight in Kerala’s Kozhikode district on March 1, the police recovered the nunchaku allegedly used to assault him. The nunchaku is a martial arts weapon most commonly associated with Karate and Kobudo, though it is also occasionally incorporated into weapon training for Taekwondo, Kung Fu, and other modern martial arts. The police also seized mobile phones, laptops, and other belongings from the houses of the five accused, all of whom are Class 10 students in a Government School.
Kozhikode rural Superintendent of Police (SP) KE Baiju told the media that the murder had been planned. “The students’ chats before and after the incident revealed that this was a planned crime. The investigation is ongoing, and police are examining the mobile phones and social media groups they used to communicate,” he said.
Meanwhile, the state government has decided to allow the accused students to participate in the Class 10 board exam. Protesting this decision, the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) staged a march to the observation home in Vellimadukunnu, where the accused are being held. Speaking with the media, Shahabas’ father also expressed his displeasure with the decision to allow the accused to sit for the exam.
“If my son were alive, he would have been able to write the exam. Even when students cheat, they would not be allowed to write the exam, or any other exams. Here, these students are murderers. We can’t accept this. At least they should not be allowed to write the exam this year,” he said.
The gang clash occurred on February 27 between students from a Government Higher Secondary School, and the MJ Higher Secondary School. The fight stemmed from a dispute at a tuition centre farewell party held on February 23. According to reports, Shahabas was not a student at the tuition centre but had attended at the invitation of his friends. Shahabas had no visible injuries after the fight and was taken home by his friends. Later that night, he vomited and fell unconscious. He died while receiving medical treatment at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.
A day after the fight, the police arrested five students in connection with the incident and transferred them to the Observation Home in Vellimadukunnu.