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Youth fete suspended as Plus Two boy drowns

Talented: Farha, HMYHSS, Manjeri, who won A grade in Arabic recitation, and Shanta Raj, NSS HSS, Adoor, who won A grade in flute recital.

MALAPPURAM: The drowning of a plus-two student in the Bharatapuzha on Wednesday brought in a tragic interlude to the 11th State Higher Secondary School Youth Festival being held at the Government Higher Secondary School grounds at Kuttippuram since Tuesday.

The competitions were suspended till Thursday afternoon following the death of Yetu Krishnan, a plus-two student of Thevally Boys Higher Secondary School, Kollam.

Yetu, son of Ayyappan, was bathing in the river near the Navamukunda temple at Tirunavaya along with his friends at 5.30 p.m. when he slipped and got sucked into the depths.

His body was fished out of the river on Wednesday evening and shifted to Government Taluk Hospital at Tirur. The body will be taken to Kollam after a post-mortem examination on Thursday.

Yetu and his team members were staying at an inn owned by Tirunavaya Devaswom.

The organisers said the youth festival competitions would resume on Thursday afternoon.

Thiruvananthapuram district was in the lead with 186 points when the competitions were suspended by 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Kannur was behind with 183 points, followed by Thrissur with 178 points.

The second day belonged largely to classical dance performers. Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattom, Ottamthullal, Kathakali (group), and Parichamuttukali were the main items staged on Wednesday.

All the seven contestants who took part in the Kathakali (group) event bagged A grade.

In the girls Mapilapattu competition, 14 of the 15 contestants won A grade. Eleven of the 14 boys won A grade in Mapilappattu.

Minister for Local Administration Paloli Mohammed Kutty inaugurated the mela on Tuesday. Unlike the previous editions of the festivals, there were no winners or losers at Kuttippuram. The competitions were adjudged purely on the basis of grading.

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