Accident or cover-up? How death of 17-year-old student has sparked violent protests in China

The death of a student has caused massive protests in northwest China.

Various videos circulating on social media show protesters throwing objects at the police, while some officers are seen beating the people at the scene.

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The incident took place in Pucheng, which is located in China’s Shaanxi province.

But what led to the teenager’s death? And why did this incident lead to the protests?

17-year-old boy’s death: Accident or cover-up?

Authorities claimed that the teenager, who was allegedly 17, fell to his death on January 2 in what they described as an accident at his school dormitory.

However, allegations of a cover-up quickly spread on social media following the incident.

Protests broke out soon after and lasted for several days before being reportedly brought under control earlier this week, according to BBC.

pic.twitter.com/QPM2jXFZck Shaanxi Pucheng. About fifty thousand people have begun rallying after a student was bullied to death in his school. This is said to be the largest protest to break out in China since January 2023. The video shows the crowd repelling police.

— The Great Translation Movement 大翻译运动 (@TGTM_Official) January 6, 2025

In a statement released earlier this week, local authorities identified the teenager, surnamed Dang, as a third-year student at an educational centre in Pucheng, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Notably, according to state media, the officials had investigated the circumstances of Dang’s death following a “verbal and physical altercation” with a roommate. The inquiry came after thousands of angry residents gathered outside the school and clashed with police.

According to the report, Dang was woken up in the night by other students chatting in his dormitory. After an argument and altercation with a fellow student, the matter was resolved by a school official.

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Later that night, another student found Dang’s body at the foot of the dormitory building.

The statement portrayed the incident as “an accident where a student fell from a height at school.” It further said that police investigations and an autopsy had been conducted, concluding that “at present [it is] excluded as a criminal case”.

Was the teen bullied? What are the allegations?

Videos shared by “Sound of Hope” showed large crowds shouting outside the school and swinging an ambulance in which the school’s vice principal had allegedly sought refuge, as shown in the footage.

陕西百姓怒了！校办公室被砸烂，副校长被打进ICU，警察被民众团团围住！1月6日，当局派出全副武装的数百警察到场，挥警棍殴打民众更激众怒。成千上万愤怒的民众突破封锁冲进学校后，将蒲城职校办公室乱砸一通；副校长被民众打到不省人事；民众们将警察团团围住，警察们则聚在一起用盾牌遮挡保护。 pic.twitter.com/ZgoBcm5VZg

— 希望之聲 - 中國時局 (@SoundOfHope_SOH) January 6, 2025

“[The victim’s] family suspected that the deceased had been bullied on campus and accused the school of concealing the truth,” read a post on X account ‘DiplySync’.

According to the CCTV report, Dang was involved in a “verbal and physical altercation” after complaining that two roommates were talking too loudly, which prevented him from sleeping. He reported the incident to the college’s “political education department” and then returned to his dormitory.

“At about 3 am on January 2, Huang, who shared a dormitory with Dang, found a wooden stool under the balcony window of the dormitory when he went to the toilet,” the report stated. “The sliding window was open, and the mesh screen on the window had been removed. Dang was down below, outside.”

Police concluded that Dang had “died from falling from a height,” ruling out foul play, the report said.

However, online allegations have suggested otherwise. Some claimed, without evidence, that Dang took his own life after being bullied by the boy he had argued with earlier.

Unverified claims from Dang’s family have also circulated, alleging that the injuries on his body were inconsistent with the authorities’ account. They also claimed they were not allowed to examine his body for long, BBC reported.

These allegations have fuelled anger in Pucheng, leading to protests involving hundreds of people.

It is reported that tens of thousands of people have gathered in Pucheng. Some are saying bad school management, economic struggles, and bigger systemic issues could trigger unrest across the whole country. pic.twitter.com/XiRd22R5ML

— China Confidential (@Chinaexposed101) January 9, 2025

Bullying in schools has become a highly sensitive issue in China, with past incidents of student deaths sparking similar unrest. Just last month, a Chinese court handed lengthy prison sentences to two teenagers convicted of murdering a classmate.

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The protests

Videos shared on X on Monday, confirmed by BBC as being filmed at the Pucheng Vocational Education Centre, showed mourners paying respects to the deceased teenager.

They laid flowers and offerings at the school’s entrance and performed a traditional mourning ritual, throwing paper pieces from the rooftop of a school building.

Other clips circulating online showed young protesters storming a building, clashing with police, and shouting, “Give us the truth.” Some visuals show damaged offices within the school compound and protesters dismantling a barricade at the entrance.

Protests over a student's suspicious death have escalated into violent clashes. On Jan. 6, thousands confronted police at Shaanxi Pucheng Vocational School, with authorities using batons and pepper spray. Protesters retaliated with stones and fire extinguishers, targeting the… pic.twitter.com/d0aZq3oppc

— Spotlight on China (@spotlightoncn) January 7, 2025

Lin Shengliang, founder of the Chinese Human Rights Accountability Database, told Voice of America (VOA) that the conflict between citizens and police arose from both accidental and inevitable factors.

“The accidental nature is that they (the authorities and the school) did not expect the public to doubt their account and for so many to stand up,” Lin stated.

More footage showed protesters throwing objects like traffic cones at the police, while officers responded by detaining and beating people with batons. Some protesters were seen with visible injuries, including blood on their faces and heads.

1月6日，陕西蒲城民众“反霸凌要真相”示威升级，上万人突破警察封锁，再次冲入学校，砸毁了部分学校设施，围殴了校长。目前，事件仍在发展之中，详情请关注我们稍后的记录视频。 https://t.co/K5SCxhGGu0 pic.twitter.com/NMiFxTwNyr

— 昨天 (@YesterdayBigcat) January 6, 2025

The developments that took place later remain unclear, but social media visuals suggest a huge increase in police presence in Pucheng, with no further protests reported.

Authorities have called on the public not to “create rumours, believe in rumours, or spread rumours.”

Despite China’s tight surveillance system and strict “stability maintenance” measures, public dissent does take place. However, such responses are often quickly suppressed, with posts erased from social media and participants warned to remain silent, Radio Free Asia said in a report.

State media has not reported on the Pucheng protests, and any mentions or footage of the demonstrations have largely been censored from Chinese platforms. However, several videos have emerged on X, with some confirmed by BBC as being filmed at the site.