Day after student’s death, police recover weapon used in Kerala clash
Father of deceased student in Thamarassery fears political pressure may hinder justice as police recover evidence from suspects linked to the attack.
A day after his son succumbed to injuries sustained in a clash between two groups of students in Thamarassery, his father alleged that the parents of certain accused in the case are politically influential with criminal backgrounds and appealed to police not to let them scot-free.
On the same day, the police, probing the murder case, said it recovered the martial arts weapon used in the clash, some mobile phones and a laptop from the homes of the suspects during raids.
Muhammad Shahabas, a class 10 student, died in the intensive care unit of the Government Medical College hospital in Kozhikode on Saturday, succumbing to injuries sustained in a clash between students of two schools near a private tuition centre in Thamarassery. The clash on Thursday followed a dispute at a farewell function at the tuition centre on February 23. While five students were taken into custody and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, police officials police said the clash and the attack on Shahabas was orchestrated and there was evidence pointing to it in the form of a WhatsApp group and voice messages.
“A nunchaku, a weapon which was used in the attack, has been recovered from a home of the suspect. It was reportedly used by the father of the main attacker. We have also recovered four mobile phones and a laptop. They will have evidence of the attack,” an officer said.
Meanwhile, a purported photograph of the father of the main attacker in the case posing with a convict in the TP Chandrasekharan murder case became viral on Sunday. The man was allegedly seen posing with TK Rajeesh, convicted in the 2012 murder of RMP leader TP Chandrasekharan.
The father of the main attacker, police suspect, was also present at the time when Shahabas was attacked.
At the same time, Iqbal, father of the deceased student, expressed fears that the case would be sabotaged under political pressure.
“I have faith in the police and the government. But at the same time, I am aware that the parents of some of the accused students have high political connections. They also have criminal backgrounds. They may well have given the weapons to their children as well. Since they are so influential, I fear the case would get swept aside,” Iqbal told reporters.
