10 arrested on charge of lynching migrant worker

The Muvattupuzha police have recorded the arrest of all 10 persons who were taken into custody over the last two days in connection with a case of mob lynching in which a migrant worker was allegedly beaten to death at Valakam near Muvattupuzha late on Thursday night.

The deceased was identified as Asok Das, 32, of Arunachal Pradesh, who was residing at a rented house at Valakam. He was allegedly tied to a pole and beaten to death. The arrested were identified as Vijeesh, Aneesh, Sathyan, Suraj, Keshav, Elias K. Paul, Amal, Athul Krishna, Emil and Sanal, all from the extended neighbourhood.

“It is more or less confirmed that he was beaten to death. We have primary evidence to record the arrest of the 10 suspects. A few of them seem to have taken part in the beating while the others helped them. The rest of the accused will also be tracked down shortly,” said a senior officer with the Ernakulam Rural police.

Murder, rioting charges

The police, after initially registering a case for unnatural death under Section 174 of CrPC, have since altered the sections. They have invoked among other charges IPC Sections for murder and rioting.

According to the first information report filed by the police, the victim had gone to a house rented by two women, one of whom had worked with him in the past in a restaurant, on Thursday around 5 p.m. He reportedly emerged out of the house bleeding around 9.30 p.m. However, there is no clarity on what happened inside the house that left him injured.

The police said he turned violent after a drunken brawl following which he reportedly smashed a windowpane in the house, injuring his hand.

There were also conflicting reports about the lynching of the victim, which people in the neighbourhood have denied. “He scaled our wall and landed in our courtyard where my son and a couple of his friends were talking. They asked him why he was there and how he was injured, and he kept giving contradictory answers. We gave him water and asked him to wait till the police came so he could be taken to a hospital. But, the moment he heard of the police, he fled, following which people chased him down and tied him to a pole so he didn’t flee. But no one beat him up as the police allege,” said a woman in the neighbourhood whose son was among those taken into custody.

Aneesh, the councillor of Ward 12 of Valakam panchayat, said the arrested were not involved in beating the victim.