Mananthavadi: For the third time in a month, after two incidents of senior students brutally assaulting juniors were reported from schools in Wayanad district, another video showing a student being physically attacked inside a school toilet went viral on social media on February 7.

The visuals, reportedly from the Government Higher Secondary School, Valad, exposed a group of students dragging a boy into a toilet and beating and kicking him mercilessly.

One student was seen dancing while others assaulted the helpless boy. During the attack, the victim collapsed, after which the attackers attempted to revive him. The entire episode of brutal “heroism” was video-recorded by another student and circulated in WhatsApp groups.

Similar incidents were recently reported from schools in Kaniyampatta and Kalpetta. In those cases, two students were remanded to judicial custody, while others are facing legal proceedings under the Juvenile Justice Act, as they are underage.

The Valad school incident, which reportedly took place three weeks ago, came to light after a parent informed teachers about the video. Subsequently, the victim’s parents approached school authorities with a complaint.

However, the school authorities allegedly attempted to downplay the incident and did not report it to the police. It was pointed out that most of the students involved are 18-years-old, and police intervention could lead to criminal charges and arrests. This reportedly prompted the authorities to keep the matter under wraps.

On February 7, after the visuals were aired, the school authorities issued notices to the parents of the students involved, asking them to report to the school on February 9.