The possible return to school of a 12-year-old sixth grader who killed his mother has sparked concern among his classmates’ parents.

The boy, having initially been taken into custody for the killing, was released without punishment.

Wu Bing, a pseudonym, from Yuanjiang in Central China's Hunan province, killed his mother with a kitchen knife after she beat him for discovering that Wu had stolen and smoked all the cigarettes she brought home from banquets on the night of December 2.

The murder was not discovered until the afternoon of December 3 when Wu's grandfather became suspicious and checked Chen's bedroom from a window, seeing blood across the room and Chen's body lying on the floor.

Given that Chinese law holds 14 to be the statutory age for criminal responsibility, local police released Wu without criminal punishment.

"He is too young for us to do anything about him," said local police.

When Wu's family tried to return him to school on December 6 however, his classmates’ parents expressed strong opposition, saying that that "he might commit other crimes in school".

According to public reports, Wu has shown no signs of remorse.

When asked if he thought it was wrong to kill his mother, Wu said "I'm wrong, but I killed my mother, not someone else."

According to Chinese criminal law, when children under the age of 16 commit crimes and cannot be prosecuted as adults, they can be sent to government-run shelter and rehabilitation centers.

Many provinces don't however have proper shelter and rehabilitation centers for children under 14 years old, and the laws on detention centers are rarely enforced, said a commentary piece on thepaper.cn.

Wu displayed abnormal behavior since he suffered head injuries between the ages of seven and eight years old, according to his grandfather.

According to Chinese mental health law, those diagnosed with mental diseases are subject to compulsory medical treatment.

It is irresponsible to release a juvenile into society just days after he brutally murdered his own mother, said the commentary piece on thepaper.cn.