Finally, Madhu has got the justice he deserved, although posthumously. Madhu, a tribal man from Attappady, Palakkad was caught, tied and brutally thrashed to death by a group of locals after allegedly stealing 1 kg of rice, 250 g of chilli powder and a packet of tea powder from a grocery shop on February 22, 2018.
On the fateful day, a group of people dragged Madhu out of a cave inside a reserve forest where he used to put up as he was suffering from mental illness. He was tied with his clothes and lynched by a mob. Post-mortem report stated that there were 45 wounds on his body. His piercing eyes of helplessness will haunt the conscience of Kerala for long.
Five years after the incident, the trial court of Mannarkkad, Palakkad convicted 14 of the 16 accused for the murder. During the trial many extraordinary and dramatic incidents took place. Out of 103 witnesses, 24 turned hostile, including victim’s cousin. Four times the Prosecutors and special prosecutors changed due to various reasons, including the non-payment of expenses and fees. With the implementation of witness protection Act, the prosecution succeeded to prevent the defection to a great extent.
The court found the accused guilty under Indian Penal Code Sections 143, 141, 323, 342 and 304 part II, and certain provisions of the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Act, may interact a maximum punishment up to 10 years imprisonment. The quantum of punishment to each convicted will be pronounced on Wednesday.
From 2020 onwards there has been an alarming increase in the cases of atrocities against tribals. In 2021, the total number of cases registered were 133 and in 2022 the number rose to 175 cases with a 33% of increase. Whereas at national level, the increase in atrocities against ST is 6.5%. And in 2023, the first two months, 42 cases have been registered.
The attack on the tribal youth, Viswanathan, by a mob and college security personal at Calicut Medical college on February 2023 is one of the latest incidents in this series. A day later the body of Viswanathan was found in the medical college premises. For almost a week, police did not file case against the security guards who led attack alleging theft.
The strict implementation of the Act to protect the miniscule section of the population – tribals comprise 1.5% of the population of the state — is the need of the hour.
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