Kerala General Education Minister V. Sivankutty accused the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of exploiting the tragic electrocution of 13-year-old Mithun, a student at Thevalakkara Boys High School in Kollam, for political gain ahead of the December 2025 local body polls. The boy died on Thursday after touching a live electric wire on school premises, prompting swift government action and a political firestorm.

Sivankutty alleged that UDF and BJP activists blocked ministers’ vehicles and waved black flags during condolence visits to Mithun’s family, aiming to “create martyrs” for electoral mileage. “This is not the right way,” he said, questioning whether the opposition parties offered any aid to the bereaved family.

He highlighted that the Kerala School Teachers Association (KSTA) pledged ₹10 lakh, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) provided ₹5 lakh, and the General Education Department committed to building a ₹20 lakh house for the family, alongside ₹3 lakh for immediate expenses. “Have such decisions ever been made within 48 hours?” Sivankutty asked, defending the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s response.

The minister, addressing the media on Saturday, emphasized that the government acted promptly, suspending the school’s headmistress on Friday and ordering a thorough investigation. “No one responsible will be spared,” he declared, echoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s stance. A high-level probe by the District Education Officer and KSEB, completed within 24 hours, found that exposed wiring near a water tank caused the tragedy, leading to immediate safety audits across Kerala schools.

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Sivankutty avoided visiting Mithun’s home on Thursday to prevent clashes, citing the LDF’s strong support base. He accused the opposition of politicizing the incident, noting that UDF’s Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan demanded accountability while BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar called for stricter school safety norms. Protests by Youth Congress and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists disrupted Kollam on Friday, with 15 arrests reported.

The incident, the second school-related electrocution in Kerala this year, has intensified scrutiny of campus safety, with 1,200 schools identified as having outdated electrical systems in a 2024 audit.

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