16-year-old student beaten to death while trying to stop fight outside school

 

By Sumesh Rajan | February 24, 2026

Shivamogga, Karnataka, INDIA: A 16-year-old Class 10 student was beaten to death after he attempted to intervene in a fight outside a government school in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district, police said on Tuesday February 24.

The incident occurred shortly after the student had attended a special class and was leaving the school premises. According to investigators, he noticed an argument between a group of local boys escalating into a physical assault on another student known to him. In an effort to de-escalate the situation, he stepped in to pacify those involved.

However, the assailants allegedly turned on him and began attacking him. Police said he was struck multiple times, including severe blows to the chest, before collapsing at the scene. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

The boy he had tried to protect also sustained injuries and is currently undergoing medical treatment.

Superintendent of Police Nikhil stated that all those involved in the incident are minors from the same locality and had studied at a nearby school. “They were known to each other. The victim intervened when a quarrel escalated, and he was assaulted. By the time he was taken to hospital, he had died,” the SP said.

Two suspects have been taken into custody, and efforts are underway to identify other individuals allegedly involved in the assault. Police are recording statements from eyewitnesses, including another minor who witnessed the incident.

Authorities said the exact cause of the quarrel remains under investigation, with preliminary findings suggesting it may have stemmed from a trivial dispute. Additional police personnel have been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure, although officials confirmed that the law and order situation is under control.

Local MLA S.N. Channabasappa visited the spot following the incident and later met the bereaved family as well as the injured student at the hospital.