17-year-old killed in dispute over social media reels

This is AI GENERATED IMAGE 

By Sumesh Rajan | March 11, 2026

Kota, Rajasthan, INDIA: A 17-year-old Class 11 student was allegedly murdered by a group of youths in Rajasthan’s Kota following a dispute linked to social media reels, police said on Wednesday March 11.

The victim, identified as Shubham Sain, a resident of Jaga Basti in the Prem Nagar area, was attacked late Tuesday March 10 while returning home from a wedding function.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 11 pm near the Choth Mata Temple under the jurisdiction of the Udhyog Nagar police station. Sain was allegedly intercepted by two to three youths who assaulted him with iron rods and a knife.

Investigators said the attackers repeatedly struck the teenager with iron rods before stabbing him, causing severe injuries including deep wounds to the stomach. He collapsed at the scene after losing a significant amount of blood.

Sain was immediately rushed to New Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, police said.

Udhyog Nagar Circle Inspector Jitendra Singh said a murder case has been registered based on a complaint filed by the victim’s family. Two suspects, identified as Vishal and Raj Baccha, have been named in the FIR. Both accused fled the scene after the attack and remain absconding, police said.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the murder may have been triggered by a long-standing rivalry related to social media content. According to police, Sain frequently created and uploaded video reels on social media platforms, which allegedly led to tensions with the accused.

“A detailed investigation is underway to determine the exact motive behind the dispute,” Singh said.

Following the post-mortem examination conducted on Wednesday morning, the victim’s body was handed over to his family members for last rites.

Police teams have been deployed to trace and arrest the absconding suspects, officials added.