Kochi: A viral video showing a 16-year-old student being brutally assaulted and verbally abused by a group of schoolmates near Valakom, Muvattupuzha, in Ernakulam has led the police to register a case and the school to initiate disciplinary proceedings.

Following the circulation of the video on social media over the weekend, the Muvattupuzha Police registered a case on Sunday evening against four Class 10 students. According to the FIR, the incident took place on July 17 in a narrow lane near Bright School, around a few hundred metres from Mar Stephen Higher Secondary School, where both the victim and the accused study.

According to the police, the assault stemmed from a verbal altercation between the victim, a Class 10 student, and one of the accused on July 16. The following day, at around 4.30 pm after special classes concluded, the four students, three of Class 10 and one of Class 9, allegedly intercepted the victim in the lane, wrongfully restrained him and assaulted him.

The FIR stated that two of the accused repeatedly punched the boy on both cheeks, another kicked him in the stomach, while the fourth struck him in the face. As the victim attempted to leave, the group allegedly hurled obscene verbal abuse at him and threatened him with further violence if he failed to “behave properly”. In the video, it is also seen that some of the students are intimidating the victim by singing songs and dancing.

The assault was filmed on a mobile phone by members of the group. The video was initially shared among peers before finding its way onto social media, where it sparked widespread outrage.

The police said the victim did not immediately approach authorities as he feared a criminal case could affect his studies. However, after the video surfaced online, Sub-Inspector Raziq PM of the Muvattupuzha police station visited the boy’s residence at Kunnakkal in Valakom on Sunday and recorded his statement, following which the FIR was registered.

The case has been registered under Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 296(b) (uttering obscene words in a public place) and 3(5) (acts done in furtherance of common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Explaining the procedure being followed as the accused are minors, a senior officer at the Muvattupuzha Police Station said the children would be dealt with under the Juvenile Justice Act.

“We cannot take children into custody like that as they are minors. We will submit a detailed report about the incident to the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Board. Further counselling and procedures will take place there. We can only direct them to appear before the JJ Board along with their parents,” the officer said.

The police said the victim did not suffer serious injuries and was able to attend school later. Childline and other juvenile welfare authorities have also initiated parallel proceedings in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, Valakom Mar Stephen Higher Secondary School is likely to initiate disciplinary action, including suspension, against all four accused students following the emergence of the video. The school has convened a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meeting on Monday with the parents of the accused and the victim to decide the next course of action.