The murder of 15-year-old Nayan Santani at the Seventh-Day Adventist Higher Secondary School in Maninagar has now snowballed into an area-wide protest, with political and community groups taking to the streets on the second day after the incident.
On Wednesday, the National Students&rsquo; Union of India (NSUI), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Merchant Association called for a bandh in Maninagar, Isanpur and Kankariya. The call brought life to a standstill, with more than 200 schools, colleges and shops closed in solidarity. Tensions flared when NSUI members clashed with the police during their march, leading to brief chaos before the crowd was dispersed.
The bandh came as grief turned into anger over what parents describe as shocking negligence by the school. Instead of rushing the injured Class 10 student to a hospital after the stabbing, staff allegedly summoned a water tanker to wash away blood on campus. It was nearly half an hour before Santani received medical help, by which time it was too late.
Parents of students have also voiced strong concerns about the school&rsquo;s environment. One mother alleged that &ldquo;our children&rsquo;s safety is at risk here, we want separate schools for Hindus and Muslims.&rdquo; Another parent claimed that &ldquo;students were asked to remove their kadas,&rdquo; while another added that &ldquo;Hindu festivals are never celebrated here, and out of 100 children, nearly 80 are Muslims.&rdquo; These remarks highlight how the tragedy has also inflamed communal anxieties among parents.
Police sources confirmed that the accused, initially thought to be a junior, is a Class 10 student. He has been detained along with another individual, while two witness statements have been formally recorded. Investigators have also traced the origins of the conflict to a week-old fight between the accused and the victim&rsquo;s cousin, which had been &ldquo;resolved&rdquo; earlier by the school administration.
Meanwhile, public outrage continues to mount. Parents and community members have accused both the school and the police of mishandling the crisis, with allegations of evidence tampering after a forensic examination was delayed by 12 hours. As law enforcement now widens its probe, the city waits for accountability in a tragedy that has exposed grave lapses in campus safety.
ACP Krunal Desai (I-Division) said in a statement: &ldquo;We have ensured adequate police bandobast since morning. Several protestors have been detained. The school management has filed a complaint regarding Tuesday&rsquo;s vandalism, which caused damage of around ₹15 lakh. Cases of rioting, assault and damage to property have been registered. Action will also be taken against those spreading misinformation on social media.&rdquo;
With allegations of negligence against the school, anger over delayed medical aid, and questions raised about forensic lapses, the case has snowballed into a major law-and-order crisis in Ahmedabad.

Class 10 boy’s murder in Maninagar school fuels protests, bandh, and communal tensions

Ahmedabad Boy’s Murder Sparks Protests

Class 10 boy’s murder in Maninagar school fuels protests, bandh, and communal tensions

August 21, 2025 | 16:23 IST