Kerala: 15 Y/O student dies by suicide over alleged bullying, ragging; investigation on
Ernakulam: In a shocking incident, a 15-year-old student, Mihir Ahammed, took his own life on January 15 after facing continuous ragging, bullying, and racial abuse at his school in Kerala’s Ernakulam district.
According to an India Today report, Mihir jumped from the 26th floor of his apartment building in Thrippunithura on January 15th. He was pursuing his studies at Global Public School (GPS) in Thiruvaniyoor, Ernakulam,
Mihir’s mother, Rajna PM, took to social media to reveal the shocking details of the abuse her son faced. She alleged that Mihir was subjected to brutal ragging, physical assault, and racial discrimination by a group of students at school and on the school bus.
In her social media post, she described how Mihir was forced to lick toilet seats, had his head shoved into a toilet while it was flushed, and was subjected to other forms of humiliation. “These acts of cruelty broke him in ways we cannot fathom,” she wrote.
Rajna revealed that she came to know about the incident after having conversations with Mihir’s friends and schoolmates, as well as a check of his social media messages.
Additionally, she shared screenshots of chat messages in which some of the alleged perpetrators celebrated Mihir’s death, with one message reading, “fk nigga he actually died.” She also revealed that Mihir was targeted because of his skin color, and even after his death, the accused continued to mock him.
Mihir’s family has filed a First Information Report (FIR) at the Hill Palace Police Station in Thrippunithura and also submitted a detailed petition to the Chief Minister’s Office and the Director General of Police (DGP), seeking an immediate and impartial investigation.
In the meantime, Rajna expressed concerns that delays in collecting digital evidence could allow the culprits to erase the evidence. She also alleged that an Instagram page titled “Justice For Mihir,” created by his friends after his death, was taken down under pressure from the school to “suppress the truth.”
Responding to the allegations, Global Public School (GPS) issued a statement expressing deep sadness over the incident and denying any knowledge of ragging or bullying on its premises. The school emphasized its zero-tolerance policy toward bullying and ragging but stated that it could not take action without proper evidence.
The statement further read, “we remain vigilant in safeguarding every child’s mental and physical well-being.”
The school also revealed that its officials, including the Head of GPS International, the Dean & Principal, and the Exam Officer, visited Mihir’s home on the day of the incident to express their condolences.
The school authorities stated that they cooperated with the police investigation by providing screenshots of social media conversations shared by the family and calling in teachers, parents, and students named in the posts for clarification. However, due to the ongoing investigation into the unnatural death, the school stated it could not divulge further details publicly.
Furthermore, in her petition, Rajna alleged that she had informed the school principal about the ragging incidents and that she had also provided evidence, but the school authorities had failed to take necessary action. She accused the school of attempting to conceal the incident in order to protect its reputation.
Rajna also emphasized the need for systemic changes to prevent such tragedies in the future. “Mihir’s death must not be in vain. No other child should suffer like he did,” she said.
According to reports, Ernakulam District Child Welfare Council vice-chairman, Arun Kumar, stated that he would meet with the investigation officer and school authorities to assess the situation.
Meanwhile, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has registered a suo-motu case over Mihir’s death, and the Kochi City police have launched an inquiry based on the family’s petition. The Thrikkakara Assistant Commissioner has been assigned with the investigation, and the Hill Palace police have already registered a case of unnatural death.
The case has sparked outrage across social media platforms.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
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Markets end higher as inflation cools to 6-yr low in Apr; metal shares shine
Mumbai, May 14 (PTI): Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended higher in a volatile trade on Wednesday due to selective buying support amid easing inflation and positive global cues.
Besides, heavy rush on metal and industrial counters and unabated foreign capital inflows supported the positive trend in the equity markets, traders said.
The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex climbed 182.34 points or 0.22 per cent to settle at 81,330.56. The gauge hit a high of 81,691.87 and a low of 80,910.03.
As many as 2,857 stocks advanced while 1,121 declined and 147 remained unchanged on the BSE.
The NSE Nifty rose 88.55 points or 0.36 per cent to 24,666.90.
"Markets were choppy in intra-day trade but managed to end in the green on selective buying support as investors don't want to rush into equities after Monday's strong optimism. While foreign fund flows in the domestic market will be critical going ahead, investors are worried that the US-China settling tariff disputes could revive foreign investors' interest in Chinese markets again," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.
Tata Steel emerged as the biggest winner in the Sensex pack, rising 3.88 per cent, followed by Eternal, Tech Mahindra, Maruti, Mahindra & Mahindra, Infosys, IndusInd Bank, HCL Tech, Tata Consultancy Services and Bharti Airtel were the major gainers.
Telecom operator Bharti Airtel climbed nearly 1 per cent after it posted about a five-fold jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 11,022 crore in the March 2025 quarter, mainly due to the tariff hike impact and one-time gain on tax benefits.
However, Asian Paints, Tata Motors, Kotak Mahindra Bank, NTPC and Power Grid were among the laggards.
Tata Motors dipped over 1 per cent after the firm reported a 51 per cent decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 8,556 crore for the March quarter, hit by lower volumes and operating leverage.
"The session began on a positive note, supported by encouraging factors, such as easing retail inflation and stable global cues. However, the absence of sustained buying interest and a mixed performance among heavyweight stocks limited further gains as the day progressed," Ajit Mishra - SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said.
The BSE smallcap gauge jumped 1.63 per cent and the midcap index climbed 1.19 per cent.
Among sectoral indices, metal surged 2.46 per cent, industrials (1.73 per cent), realty (1.71 per cent), commodities (1.49 per cent), oil & gas (1.46 per cent), BSE Focused IT (1.38 per cent) and IT (1.37 per cent).
Bankex emerged as the only laggard.
"Nifty Metal was the top gainer, up 2.5 per cent, as easing trade tensions between the US and China lifted sentiment across metal stocks. Nifty IT also saw a 1.3 per cent uptick, rebounding after profit booking in the previous session. Defence stocks continued to witness momentum, backed by strong domestic demand and export optimism," Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, said.
Meanwhile, retail inflation eased to a nearly six-year low of 3.16 per cent in April, mainly due to subdued prices of vegetables, fruits, pulses, and other protein-rich items, creating enough room for the Reserve Bank to go for another round of rate cuts in the June monetary policy review.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation was 3.34 per cent in March and 4.83 per cent in April 2024. It was 3.15 per cent in July 2019.
Wholesale price inflation dropped to a 13-month low of 0.85 per cent in April, with softening in prices of food articles, fuel and manufactured products, with experts projecting further easing in the data for next month, government data showed on Wednesday.
In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng settled higher, while Japan's Nikkei 225 index ended lower.
Markets in Europe were trading mostly lower. US markets ended mostly higher on Tuesday.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 1.13 per cent to USD 65.88 a barrel.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 476.86 crore on Tuesday, according to exchange data.
"Market optimism is gaining momentum, driven by a sharp decline in global and domestic risks...Currently, Midcaps are witnessing renewed interest, fuelled by marginal upgrades in recent earnings and the potential for a stronger rebound in FY26.
"Contributing factors include a consistent decline in inflation, rising disposable incomes, increased government spending, and falling interest rates. Meanwhile, a pause in global trade tensions is boosting sentiment in international markets, with metals gaining traction amid easing concerns over an economic slowdown," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.
On Tuesday, the Sensex tanked 1,281.68 points or 1.55 per cent to settle at 81,148.22. The broader Nifty of NSE dropped 346.35 points or 1.39 per cent to 24,578.35.
