Police clash with protesters in China after student falls to his death
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Public outrage over government and police handling of teen’s death in China. The death of a 17-year-old student in north-west China has sparked mass protests over alleged government and police mishandling of the case. Dang Changxin, from Pucheng in China’s Shaanxi province, reportedly fell to his death from his vocational school’s roof on 1 January. But suspicious circumstances, including alleged signs of a struggle, have reportedly fueled public outrage.
His family disputed the official explanation of suicide as people accused authorities of suppressing information. Protests escalated into violent clashes with heavily armed police using tear gas and batons, marking one of China’s most significant public order challenges in recent months.
Officials in Pucheng county initiated an investigation into the death of the student who reportedly had a “verbal and physical altercation” with a roommate. Thousands of outraged citizens gathered outside the school. Online videos reveal heavily armed police dispersing crowds by using batons, kicking protesters, and deploying tear gas, BBC reported.
On 2 January, Dang’s parents were called to the school and told only that there was an urgent matter, according to Human Rights in China, a nongovernmental organisation founded in March 1989 by overseas Chinese students and scientists. According to the group, upon arriving, his mother was not allowed to see her son. His classmates seemed flustered, avoided her questions, and quickly dispersed. She was then escorted to a room, where she was confined and denied any updates about her son’s condition, the organisation said in a statement.
