A wave of violent protests has surged through China’s northwestern Shaanxi province, ignited by the controversial death of a teenage boy, sparking allegations of a government cover-up. Verified videos depict dozens of demonstrators clashing with riot police outside the Pucheng Vocational Technical School, where tensions erupted into chaos, with protesters throwing batons and even a fire extinguisher at officers.
The unrest centers around the death of a third-year student named Dang, whose demise on January 2 has been officially labeled an accident by local authorities. However, social media is rife with speculation suggesting a darker narrative, prompting public outrage.
According to a statement from the Pucheng county government, the altercation that preceded Dang’s fall involved a verbal and physical dispute with a first-year student, Guo, over noise in their dormitory. The situation escalated late that night, culminating in Dang’s tragic fall from an open window. Investigators reported finding a wooden stool beneath the balcony, but the circumstances surrounding his death remain murky.
Human Rights in China, a US-based activist group, has reported “suspicious circumstances” surrounding the incident, including witness accounts of a struggle in the dormitory and claims that Dang was possibly pushed from the roof. The family has vehemently rejected the official account and expressed concerns that critical evidence, such as photos on Dang’s cell phone, has been mysteriously deleted.
In a nation still reeling from the “White Paper” protests against stringent Covid-19 policies, authorities are particularly wary of public dissent. As protests erupted on Monday, the situation in Pucheng remains fluid, with uncertainty about whether demonstrations continued throughout the week.
Efforts to reach the local public security bureau for comment have gone unanswered, leaving questions about the truth behind Dang’s death and the public’s response still hanging in the air.
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