Six students have been questioned and released by police following an alleged bullying incident in Galoa Village, Serua.
Police confirm that investigations are continuing after reports of the 16-year-old boy being tied down, threatened with a cane knife and made to inhale marijuana while accompanying a group of youths to gather bamboo.
It is alleged that the teenager’s hands and legs were tied during the ordeal.
The incident was reportedly filmed and later circulated on social media, prompting the victim’s family to lodge a formal complaint with police.
It is understood that the families of the alleged perpetrators presented a matanigasau, a traditional iTaukei act of seeking forgiveness and reconciliation, to the victim’s family.
However, this was reportedly declined.
Meanwhile, Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran has decribed the incident as "an act of violence against a child".
Kiran says the behaviour shown in the video cannot be dismissed as a prank or harmless conduct.
Police are urging members of the public not to share the footage and to allow the investigation to proceed without interference.
