Kollam: Mithun, the 13-year-old who died after being electrocuted at Thevalakkara Boys Higher Secondary School, had joined the school only a month ago. He had transferred from Pattakadavu School as part of his high school admission this academic year.

According to school authorities, the incident occurred during playtime. Mithun reportedly used a classroom bench to climb onto the rooftop of the school’s cycle shed to retrieve a sandal. He lost his balance and came in contact with a live wire, suffering a fatal electric shock.
On most days, Mithun travelled to school by bus.

However, on the day of the incident, his father, Manu, dropped him off on a scooter. His mother, Suja, who has been working as a home nurse in Kuwait for the past three months, had spoken to both Manu and Mithun over the phone earlier that morning before leaving for work.

Local panchayat member Shivarajan was informed immediately after the incident. Manu rushed his son to the hospital, but doctors declared that Mithun had died before arrival.

Relatives said Suja is yet to be informed of her son’s death. The family she works for in Kuwait had taken her on a trip to Turkey, and efforts to contact her have been unsuccessful so far. Manu, a daily wage labourer, said the family had applied for a house under the LIFE Mission housing scheme but were still awaiting approval. Relatives believe Mithun was trying to retrieve a friend’s slipper when the tragedy occurred.