Suspicious Death of a Vocational School Student in Shaanxi Sparks Public Outrage Over Alleged Bullying

On January 2, 2025, a high school senior at the Vocational Education Center in Pucheng County, Shaanxi, mysteriously fell to his death. It was later reported online that the student was allegedly bullied, leading to widespread public anger. On January 5 and 6, thousands of people gathered at the school gates demanding answers, which resulted in violent clashes when the police intervened. (Video screenshot)

People News - Recently, the death of a vocational school student in Pucheng, Shaanxi, has sparked widespread attention. The school's handling of the incident and the official investigation have been met with skepticism. Subsequently, public protests escalated, with videos circulating online showing large-scale clashes between the police and the public, leading to chaos at the scene.

According to Radio Free Asia, on January 2, a student from the third year, surnamed Dang, fell from a building at around 3 AM at the Pucheng Vocational Education Center. The school immediately reported the incident to the police, and when officers and emergency personnel arrived, the student was already dead.

On the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), a well-known current affairs blogger, "Teacher Li, Not Your Teacher," revealed that the school's handling of the incident has raised significant doubts. The student's family reportedly said that after being called to the school, Dang’s mother was locked in a room and not allowed to leave. She only found out about her son's death after daylight. Later, the family was taken to a hotel, where two teachers took turns watching over them.

At the funeral home, the student's mother noticed that while there were no visible injuries on his face, there were significant bruises below his neck. When she tried to check for other injuries, she was stopped by the teachers. Additionally, the family pointed out that there were signs of a violent altercation in the student’s dormitory, but the school confiscated the phones and watches of the students who were aware of the situation, deleting photos from their phones.

Official Investigation Results Controversial

In response to the incident, state-run media CCTV reported the official position of the local government on January 6. According to the report, after the incident, the Pucheng County Committee and the local government established an investigation team. The investigation concluded that on the evening of January 1, the student Dang had a verbal argument and physical altercation with a fellow dormmate, surnamed Guo, over the latter’s chat disturbing his rest. Accompanied by other classmates, Dang went to see the vice-director of the Political Education Office, Lei, who then mediated the dispute. Afterward, both students returned to their dormitory.

Around 3 AM the next day, another student in the dormitory, surnamed Huang, went to the restroom and found that the dormitory’s balcony window was wide open, with a wooden stool placed beneath it. Dang had fallen to the ground below. After on-site investigations and an autopsy, the police concluded that Dang had died from a fall and ruled out any criminal involvement.

Protests Escalate into Large-Scale Clashes

Following the incident, the school's handling and the official investigation results were widely questioned. Many people believed the incident might involve bullying, and the explanation of a fall was seen as an attempt to cover up the truth. The school and government’s handling of the matter fueled public anger.

According to "Teacher Li, Not Your Teacher," on the night of January 5, a large crowd gathered outside the Pucheng Vocational Education Center to demand justice for the student’s death. Some people were reportedly detained, and protesters chanted "Release them!" The following day, the protests escalated. According to videos and messages circulated on the platform X, more than ten thousand people broke through police barricades, stormed the school, destroyed facilities, and even assaulted the principal. The scene was chaotic, with police using batons to disperse the demonstrators, and some students involved in the protest were severely beaten.

Radio Free Asia was unable to independently verify the information from the social media platforms. In response to inquiries about these reports, "Teacher Li, Not Your Teacher" stated that the information came from submissions by internet users, data collected by their team, and related content from domestic social media.