Chinese protesters clash with police following student's death

In Shaanxi province in northwest China, a rare protest recently occurred outside a vocational school, involving clashes between a group of people and the police. It is reported that a student from the school tragically died earlier this month, triggering the protest. Reuters confirmed through multiple videos on social media platform X that the clashes took place at the new campus of the Pucheng County Vocational Education Center. However, the specific date of the incident could not be determined from the videos.

Video footage shows dozens of police officers in riot gear retreating from an angry crowd, who were throwing sticks and other objects at them. According to a statement released by the Pucheng County government on January 5th, a student surnamed Dang died after falling from a building on the school premises. A joint investigation team established to investigate the incident ruled out the possibility of a criminal act and informed the student's family of their conclusion.

The investigation team's statement indicated that another student discovered Dang's body at 3 a.m. on January 2nd. The New York-based organization, "Human Rights in China," stated in a post on X on January 7th that the protests were sparked by the death of the 17-year-old student. The organization also stated that the student's family was prohibited from examining the child's body for external injuries and were told that the school's surveillance system was damaged when they requested to view the surveillance footage.

Furthermore, the family also claimed that photos on the student's phone had been deleted. Reuters requested confirmation from the Weinan City Public Security Bureau regarding whether the protests were related to the details mentioned by "Human Rights in China," but has not yet received a response. Reuters was also unable to reach the Weinan police or the vocational school for comment on the matter.