The tragic death of a 15-year-old boy by electrocution from an illegal wild boar trap at Vazhikkadavu near Nilambur in Kerala’s Malapppuram district has triggered a wave of protests and heated allegations during the ongoing campaign for the Nilambur Assembly by-election, scheduled to be held on June 19.

Ananthu alias Jithu, a Class 10 student, died of electrocution after coming in contact with an illegal electric fence set up to trap wild boars in Vazhikadavu, near Nilambur. Jithu, along with his friends, had gone to a stream after playing football. While navigating through a private property, three of the boys came in contact with a live electric wire reportedly installed by the landowner to kill wild boars. Jithu, died on the spot while two others, Yadhu Krishnan and Sachu, suffered injuries, with Sachu currently in critical condition. The fourth friend, who managed to escape, alerted locals.

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The police have since filed an FIR under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Two individuals – Vazhikkadavu native Vineesh, and Kunjumuhammed – have been taken into custody. Reports suggest that the electric trap was set up to hunt wild boars for meat.

The incident sparked widespread outrage and political mudslinging ahead of the Nilambur by-election. The Congress-led UDF, accused the ruling CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) of negligence and complicity. UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukath termed the incident “government-sponsored murder”. “This is not just an accident. People are laying electric traps with the silent approval of the Kerala State Electricity Board(KSEB). KSEB’s failure to monitor misuse of its supply is not just negligence—it’s criminal,” Shoukath alleged.

Following the boy’s death, Congress and Muslim League workers staged a road blockade in protest, leading to clashes with police who later arrested and removed the protestors.

Responding to Shoukath’s accusations, LDF candidate M Swaraj expressed disappointment over the politicisation of a tragic event. “It is painful that a death is being used for political gains,” Swaraj said.

Forest Minister A K Saseendran described the incident as heart-wrenching but raised suspicions about the political motives behind the protests. He denied any involvement by the Forest Department or the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), stating, “Neither agency uses live electric fencing. Such setups are strictly illegal. Attempts to blame the Forest Department are baseless and politically motivated,” Saseendran said.

The forest minister said the UDF and BJP are trying to exploit it as a failure of the Forest Department and the government, using it to stage protests. “It is disturbing that demonstrations erupted even before locals fully grasped what happened. This raises the possibility of deliberate political staging. The fact that they called it a government-sponsored murder immediately after the incident raises suspicion. This was an act by a private individual. How is the Forest Department or government to blame? They didn’t even express sorrow — their first reaction was to attack the government,” he said.

CPI-M state Secretary M V Govindan also alleged that the incident might be a deliberate ploy to influence the upcoming by-election. He accused the UDF of using the incident for political gain and called for a probe into possible conspiracy, including examining the accused’s phone records.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan slammed Forest Minister Saseendran, saying he was making a “nasty” allegation to cover up his inability to control the rampant wildlife attacks in populated areas.He also came down heavily on CPI-M state secretary M V Govindan for supporting the minister’s conspiracy charge aimed at the opposition UDF.

Meanwhile, the KSEB issued a statement clarifying that the fatal accident occurred due to an illegal electric trap set up by private individuals. “The tragic incident in Vazhikkadavu, Nilambur, which led to three children being electrocuted and one death, was caused by unauthorised tapping of power from a KSEB single-phase line. Wires—some without insulation—were extended using makeshift tools. The fishing boys came into contact with these wires,” the statement read.