Ahmedabad: Class 10 student killed by classmate

Ahmedabad: A class 10 student of a private school in Ahmedabad was allegedly fatally stabbed by his classmate following an altercation, triggering a massive protest and vandalism by parents and locals on Wednesday, police said.

Police detained the accused teenager following the attack while the victim succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday night, an officer said.

Police clarified that both the attacker and the victim were students of class 10.

State education minister Praful Pansheriya had earlier said that a class 10 student was stabbed by his junior studying in class 9.

“A class 10 student stabbed his classmate at Seventh Day School yesterday. The victim died during treatment in the night. Police have registered an FIR and detained the juvenile accused,” said Joint Commissioner of Police Jaipal Singh Rathore.

On Wednesday morning, hundreds of people, comprising family members of the victim, parents of other students, and members of the Sindhi community, stormed the premises of the school and demanded action against the administration.

The situation soon escalated into chaos, with the mob damaging school buses, two-wheelers, and four-wheelers parked at the institute. They assaulted the school staff, police said.

Police personnel initially struggled to bring the situation under control and pushed the mob out of the school premises.

Protesters staged a sit-in on the road, blocking traffic. They shouted slogans against the police, demanding action against the school administration.

The incident took communal colour as the accused student belongs to a minority community and the victim is a member of the Sindhi community.

“We demand justice. We have lost our child today. It would be someone else’s kid tomorrow. If strict action is not taken, such incidents will take place again,” a relative of the victim said.

Local MLA Amul Bhatt requested the mob to maintain peace with folded hands. With a megaphone in his hand, he asked them to submit their demands and allow the police to do their job.

Joint Commissioner of Police of Crime Branch Sharad Singhal told reporters that the city police commissioner has accepted the demand of protesters to hand over the investigation to the crime branch.