7 Students Held For Assault In Tirunelveli School Clash, Cops Deny Caste Conflict

Initially, Opposition leaders Edappadi K Palaniswami and Premalatha Vijayakanth labeled the incident as a caste clash.

The conflict initially began on Friday but escalated into a larger group clash on Monday with students from both sides joining the fray.

Seven students from government higher secondary school in Maruthakulam village, Nanguneri taluk, Tirunelveli, were detained in connection with the assault of two fellow students on Wednesday. The altercation occurred in a school toilet on Monday at 11:15 AM.

The clash involved Class 12 students from two different villages who reportedly had frequent verbal confrontations. The conflict initially began on Friday but escalated into a larger group clash on Monday with students from both sides joining the fray. During the fight, one student sustained a shoulder injury while another received a blunt-force blow to his back, according to a report on Times of India.

Based on the information, the police detained the students and placed them in a borstal home in Tirunelveli after being presented before the Juvenile Justice Board. This is not the first incident involving these students the police had previously warned them against such behavior last year, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) V Prasanna Kumar confirmed this to DT Next.

Tirunelveli Chief Educational Officer G Muthusamy stated that the Moondradaipu police have filed a Community Service Register (CSR) based on a report from the school's headmaster (in-charge), as per the report.

Oppositions Claims It A Caste Clash

Opposition leaders Edappadi K Palaniswami and Premalatha Vijayakanth have labeled the incident as a caste clash. However, ASP V Prasanna Kumar refuted these claims, stating that the students involved hailed from the villages of Ponnakudi and Mayaneri and had longstanding personal resentments rather than caste-based issues.

However, following instructions from District Police SP N Silambarasan, ASP Prasanna Kumar visited the school to address the students on the importance of social harmony. He urged them to concentrate on their studies and prepare for upcoming competitive exams, emphasizing the need to avoid conflicts and focus on their education.