A heartbreaking incident in Kochi, Kerala, has brought attention to the severe consequences of bullying and ragging in schools. Fifteen-year-old Mihir Ahammed tragically died by suicide on January 15, and his mother, Rajna PM, is now alleging that her son's death was a result of brutal bullying he endured at school. In a heartfelt post on Instagram, Rajna shared that Mihir was physically assaulted, verbally abused, and subjected to degrading treatment, including being forced to lick a toilet seat.
Although the police have registered a case of suicide, Rajna has called for an immediate and impartial investigation into her son's death. She has reached out to both Kerala's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the state's police chief, urging them to take swift action. Mihir died after jumping from their 26th-floor apartment in Kochi's Thripunithara, just an hour after returning from school. In the wake of his death, Rajna and her husband began piecing together the events that led to Mihir’s tragic decision. Through conversations with friends and examining his social media messages, they uncovered a disturbing pattern of bullying. Mihir was targeted by a group of students at school and on the school bus, enduring verbal abuse, physical violence, and extreme humiliation. Rajna described how, on his last day, Mihir was forced into a washroom, made to lick a toilet seat, and had his head shoved into a flushing toilet.
These acts of cruelty broke him in ways we cannot fathom. "Mihir's mother said he was bullied for his skin colour. "They didn't end the cruelty even after his death. A shocking chat screenshot reveals the extent of their cruelty. They messaged 'fxxk ni*ga he actually died' and celebrated his death," she wrote. . Celebrities, including Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Prithviraj Sukumaran, have joined the chorus of voices demanding stronger measures against ragging and bullying, stressing the importance of empathy in both schools and society at large. Samantha Ruth Prabhu said the news had "absolutely shattered" her. "It's 2025. Yet, we've lost another bright young life, snuffed out because a few individuals, filled with hate and venom pushed someone to the brink!"
She said Mihir's death is a 'reminder that bullying, harassment, and ragging are not just 'harmless traditions' or 'rites of passage'. "They are violence - psychological, emotional, and sometimes, even physical. We have stringent anti-ragging laws apparently, yet our students continue to suffer in silence, afraid to speak up, afraid of consequences, afraid that no one will listen. Where are we failing?"
Actor Prithiviraj Sukumaran said in an Instagram post, "Parents, homes, teachers, schools, Empathy is lesson no. 1". Actor Keerthy Suresh described the teen's death as "heart-wrenching". "If ragging starts in school and a group of kids has tortured a boy to the extent that he took his own life, what a shame! Can't stop thinking of this grieving mother and her family."