Thiruvananthapuram: The police on Friday arrested two persons and taken five others into custody in connection with the murder of a 27-year-old tribal youth at Attappady, the tribal heartland of Kerala in Palakkad district. The arrested have been identified as Hussan and Kareem of Mukkali near Attappadi.
The deceased Madhu, a resident of Kadukumanna tribal hamlet, was thrashed, tied up and harassed allegedly for stealing food items a few days ago. The mob, which got hold of Madhu from a nearby forest, clicked pictures of the man and even took selfies with him while he was tied up.
After severely trashing Madhu, the mob handed him over to the police at around 6 pm, some two-and-a-half hours after he was caught. Police officials claim the man collapsed and died inside the police jeep while they were taking him to the hospital.
A large number of people, including films actors and other celebrities, have registered their protest against the murder. Megastar Mammootty, who termed 'Madhu as his younger brother, tendered an apology on behalf of the 'civilized society’.
Expressing shame over the incident, filmmaker and activist Joy Mathew said: "The case will not reach anywhere as Madhu was not a member of any political party." An upset Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the murder and said the "heinous act is a blot on Kerala’s progressive society".
"But I want to assure you that strict action will be taken at the earliest against all the culprits to ensure that such crimes, especially against people from communities that were long marginalised, are not repeated. Kerala as a whole should stay extremely vigilant to ensure that we continue to remain and progress as a caring, cosmopolitan society," Vijayan posted on Facebook. The post-mortem of Madhu will be conducted at Thrissur Medical College Hospital on Saturday.
The area with 192 tribal hamlets has also witnessed 129 infant deaths in the last five years from 2013 due to various factors, say, malnutrition and poor maternal health. Moreover, the tribal population of Attappadi has dwindled to around 30% at present from 90% in 1951.
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