Three youngsters including two minors have been arrested for attacking a 16-year-old student with sharp weapons.
The victim had been admitted to Tirunelveli government medical college hospital in Palayamkottai, and is recuperating, said Thoothuudi Superintendent of Police (SP) Albert John, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
Sources said that a 16-year-old boy son of a brick kiln worker belonging to Ariyanayagipuram of Cherakulam was heading to his school at Palayamkottai in a town bus running between Peikulam and Thoothukudi.
When the bus reached Kettiyammalpuram, a three-member gang waylaid the bus, alighted, walked up to the Plus-1 student and attacked him brutally with sharp weapons before fleeing the spot.
The victim was injured in 12 places in the head, neck and hands and has been hospitalised at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital.
Srivaikuntam police rushed to the spot and began an investigation. The investigation revealed that the victim, who belongs to an Scheduled Caste (SC) community, had been in unrequited love with a Plus-1 girl who travelled in the same bus.
Irate over this, two brothers and a cousin brother of the girl had allegedly conspired to attack the victim, said sources.
Thoothukudi SP Albert John told The New Indian Express that two minors and one M Lakshmanan (19) Kettiyammalpuram had been arrested in connection to the attack on the Plus-1 student.
The victim is stabilising and hopes to recover, he said.
Since the victim hails from the SC community, the three suspects belonging to the MBC community had been booked under sections 296(b),127(2),109(2), 351(3) BNS r/w 3(1)(r), 3(1)(s), 3(2)(v) SC/ST POA Act 1989, said a top police officer.
Police sources said that the suspect, M Lakshmanan alias Periyavan (19) of Kettiyammalpuram, is a school dropout, while one of the 17-year-old is pursuing Class XI at a government-aided school, and another at government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) at Tiruchendur.
