Palakkad: A court in Kerala has convicted 14 accused while acquitting two accused in the mob lynching of a tribal youth in Attappadi village of P[alakkad district in Feb. 2018. The court will pronounce the sentence on Wednesday. The Mannarkkad special court for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on Monday held 14 people guilty in the murder case under charges of IPC 304(2) for culpable homicide.
The accused found guilty are Hussain Mecheriil, Marakar, Shamsuddin, Radhakrishnan, Abu Bakar, Siddique, Ubaid, Najeeb, Jaijumon, Sajeev, Satish, Harish, Biju and Munir. The conviction was made under the Prevention of Atrocities to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act with charges of unlawful assembly, atrocities against Scheduled Tribes and causing injury also been framed against the accused.
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The court acquitted fourth accused Anish and the eleventh accused Abdul Karim for lack of evidence. After three adjournments for judgment in the case, the court framed the charges under tight security in the court premises. Police has provided special security to victim Madhu's mother and sister.
The case dates back to Feb. 22, 2018, when a 30-year-old Madhu, son of Mallan and Malli of Attapadi Chindaki colony in Palakkad district, was killed in a mob attack.
Accusing Madhu of being a thief, the mob caught him and and beat him up. Police arrived on the spot and rescued Madhu. However he was declared dead at the primary health centre where he was shifted for treatment. The prosecution said that Madhu was killed due to injuries sustained in the attack by the accused.
Some of the accused had circulated the footage of Madhu being caught and beaten up by the mob on social media. The videos were also presented in court as evidence by the prosecution. Madhu's mother had approached the High Court in 2022 as the trial had not started even after four years of the incident. The investigation and the trial were completed after the high court intervened after witnesses defected at the beginning of the trial.
