Rare mass protests erupted in China over the 'cover up' of a teenager's mysterious death as large crowds charged riot police who responded with brutal violence.
Footage circulating on social media captured the furious demonstrators clashing with authorities in China's northwestern Shaanxi province in the protest outside a vocational school where a student died earlier in the month.
Authorities said the teenager fell to his death on January 2 in an accident at his school dormitory, but following his death allegations began spreading on social media that there had been a cover-up.
Clips on social media platform X have shown the clash took place at the new campus of Pucheng County Vocational Education Center.
In one chaotic video, dozen of police officers in riot gear are seen retreating from the angry crowd that are hurling rods and other objects at them.
In another clip, a few police officers rushed to grab a woman while another policeman a few metres away repeatedly hit a man with his baton when the man approached him.
Footage also depicted young demonstrators storming school buildings, confronting officials, and clashing with heavily armed police.
Authorities reportedly deployed tear gas and increased their presence on the campus in a bid to quell the riots.
Clips on social media platform X have shown the clash took place at the new campus of Pucheng County Vocational Education Center
A teen student’s death in China has sparked a spate of protests that have reportedly been silenced on Chinese social media
In one clip, a woman is seen being led away from the protets while covered in blood
Pucheng authorities in a January 5 statement said a student surnamed Dang died at the campus of Pucheng County Vocational Education Center after falling from a building
New-York based Human Rights In China said the protest was due to the death of the 17-year-old student, according to its post on X on January 7.
It said the family of the deceased student was prohibited from checking their child's corpse for any traumatic injuries, and were told the school's surveillance system was damaged after demanding to see security footage.
The family claimed photos from the student's mobile phone had also been deleted.
'These actions triggered public speculation that the school was trying to cover up the truth,' the group said.
Weinan’s public security bureau did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters to confirm whether the protest was related to the details mentioned by Human Rights In China.
Pucheng authorities in a January 5 statement said a student surnamed Dang died at the campus of Pucheng County Vocational Education Center after falling from a building.
'These actions triggered public speculation that the school was trying to cover up the truth,' the group said.
There is little information on what happened next, but reports on social media suggest a much larger police presence in Pucheng in recent days with no more reports of demonstrations.
One clip shows a protester wiping blood from his head
Demonstrators were also seen in footage hurling objects at police officers
Cops were seen responding with force as the protesters carried out their demonstration
There is little information on what happened next, but reports on social media suggest a much larger police presence in Pucheng in recent days with no more reports of demonstrations
Other clips show protesters hurling objects such as traffic cones at groups of retreating police; and officers tackling and detaining people while beating them with batons
A joint investigation team put together for the case ruled out any crime, and informed the student's family of their conclusion.
Dang was found dead by another student at 3am on January 2, according to the investigation team's statement.
Prior to his death, Dang had been woken up in the night by other students chatting in his dormitory, their statement said.
He got into an argument and altercation with a boy, which was resolved by a school official.
Later that night, his body was found by another student at the foot of the dormitory block.
The statement described it as 'an accident where a student fell from a height at school'.
It added that the police had conducted investigations and an autopsy, and 'at present exclude it as a criminal case'.
The public security authorities had conducted on-site investigations, reviewed surveillance footage, conducted interviews, and performed an external examination on the body, the investigation team said.
