The electrocution of a 15-year-old boy in Kerala’s Malappuram has spiralled into a political controversy, with Forest Minister AK Saseendran’s remarks suggesting a possible “conspiracy” drawing criticism from the Opposition amid the Nilambur bypoll campaign.

The boy, Ananthu, was electrocuted after he and his friends accidentally touched an illegal electric fence allegedly set up to trap wild boars. While the accused, Vineesh, has been arrested, the incident triggered political unrest with the Congress accusing the Left government of negligence.

Speaking at a public event, Minister Saseendran said he wasn’t making an allegation but had “doubts” about the protests that followed the boy’s death. He went on to say that the by-poll campaign in Nilambur was going at a slow pace and this could turn it into something else.

He had earlier hinted that protests in Malappuram were taking a political turn, adding, “We all know who is the beneficiary.”

Opposition Leader VD Satheesan hit back, calling the Minister’s remarks “terrible”.

“Did the United Democratic Front (UDF) conspire to kill a small boy? The Minister should find another job,” he said. “This is just an excuse to cover up his own failure.”

As the backlash grew, Minister Saseendran clarified that his doubts were not about the death itself, but about the “political use” of the incident. “There is no conspiracy in how the boy died. But the way the Forest department was attacked after, that was politically motivated,” he said. He also accused the Congress of being the first to politicise the incident by calling it a “government-sponsored murder”.