Kochi, Kerala:
Weeks after a 15-year-old schoolboy in Kerala’s Kochi died by suicide, his mother has alleged that brutal ragging crushed her son and pushed him toward death. In a statement posted on Instagram, Rajna PM alleged that her son, Mihir Ahammed, was beaten up, verbally abused and forced to lick the toilet seat.
Police have registered a case of suicide, but Mihir’s mother has said she had written to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office and the Kerala police chief and sought an immediate and impartial probe into her son’s death. Mihir died by suicide on January 15 after he jumped from their 26th-floor flat in Kochi’s Thripunithara, barely an hour after he returned from school.
Teen’s Mother Seeks Justice
“After his death, my husband and I began gathering information to understand why Mihir took such a drastic step. Through conversations with his friends, schoolmates, and by reviewing social media messages, we uncovered the horrific reality of what he endured. Mihir was subjected to brutal ragging, bullying, and physical assault by a gang of students at school and on the school bus,” his mother said.
“The evidence we gathered paints a chilling picture. Mihir was beaten, verbally abused, and forced to endure unimaginable humiliation even on his last day. He was forcibly taken to the washroom, made to lick a toilet seat, and had his head pushed into the toilet while it was flushed. These acts of cruelty broke him in ways we cannot fathom.”
Mihir’s mother said he was bullied for his skin colour. “They didn’t end the cruelty even after his death. A shocking chat screenshot reveals the extent of their cruelty. They messaged ‘fxxk ni*ga he actually died’ and celebrated his death,” she wrote.
Big Charge Against School
Rajna PM said Mihir’s friends had started an Instagram page titled ‘Justice for Mihir’ to amplify their demand for justice. “However, the page has now been deleted, and there are reports that the school is intimidating students to suppress the truth. When I approached the school authorities with evidence and demanded accountability, they only informed me that the information was forwarded to the police. I strongly believe they are attempting to cover up these incidents to protect the school’s reputation,” she said. The teen’s mother said she has approached the Chief Minister’s office and DGP for immediate action. “I fear delays in gathering digital evidence may allow the culprits to erase their tracks.”
Ms Rajna said she had also flagged the incident to the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. According to a Mathrubhumi report, the child rights body’s chairman has confirmed that the panel has taken note of the teen’s tragic death. She has also alleged that the school’s vice-principal harassed Mihir.
Kerala Education V Sivankutty has ordered a thorough investigation into the chilling incident, Mathrubhumi has reported.
Celebrities Speak Out
Top actors have spoken out against the ragging culture and mourned the loss of a young life. Samantha Ruth Prabhu said the news had “absolutely shattered” her. “It’s 2025. Yet, we’ve lost another bright young life, snuffed out because a few individuals, filled with hate and venom pushed someone to the brink!”
She said Mihir’s death is a ‘reminder that bullying, harassment, and ragging are not just ‘harmless traditions’ or ‘rites of passage’. “They are violence – psychological, emotional, and sometimes, even physical. We have stringent anti-ragging laws apparently, yet our students continue to suffer in silence, afraid to speak up, afraid of consequences, afraid that no one will listen. Where are we failing?”
Actor Prithiviraj Sukumaran said in an Instagram post, “Parents, homes, teachers, schools, Empathy is lesson no. 1”. Actor Keerthy Suresh described the teen’s death as “heart-wrenching”. “If ragging starts in school and a group of kids has tortured a boy to the extent that he took his own life, what a shame! Can’t stop thinking of this grieving mother and her family.”
