Class 12 student in TN dies after brutal assault by juniors at govt school

A government school in Tamil Nadu has been shaken by heartbreaking tragedy after a violent clash between senior and junior students claimed the life of a Class 12 boy, who succumbed to grievous head injuries after a three-day battle for survival.

The incident unfolded on 4 December at the Government Arignar Anna Model Higher Secondary School, where a confrontation between Class 11 and Class 12 students spiralled into a brutal assault. Police said the boy was allegedly set upon by a group of fourteen Class 11 students, who struck him on the head with a wooden stick, inflicting injuries so severe that he never recovered.

As chaos erupted on campus, school authorities urgently alerted the boy’s family. His parents rushed him first to the Government Hospital in Kumbakonam, from where he was moved to a private hospital in Thanjavur as his condition deteriorated. Surgeons fought desperately to save him, performing an emergency procedure to remove a blood clot from his brain. But despite their efforts, and nearly three days in intensive care, the boy breathed his last around 2.30 am on Sunday.

His death sent shockwaves through the community. Police swiftly detained all 14 accused students — each of them a minor — and produced them before the Juvenile Justice Board, which ordered their remand to a juvenile home. What began as a case of attempt to murder will now be altered to murder following the post-mortem, officials confirmed.

Investigators are piecing together what led to the deadly escalation — whether simmering tensions between the classes preceded the clash, and how such a violent attack unfolded within the school premises. Authorities are also examining whether lapses in supervision contributed to the tragedy.

The incident has triggered widespread outrage and soul-searching among parents, teachers, and residents, who are demanding accountability and stronger safeguards to protect students. Education Department officials are expected to launch a detailed inquiry alongside the police investigation, as the young boy’s death casts a harsh spotlight on the rising tide of student violence and the urgent need for safer school environments.

With IANS inputs