People chopping off someone\'s leg, throwing it on road is scary: Kerala HC

Kochi: Referring to the recent killing of a man by a gang of 12 assailants who chopped off the victim's leg and threw the limb on the road as they fled the site, Kerala High Court has said it was a "scary" situation in the state.

"People chopping off someone's leg and throwing it on the road. It is scary. They (assailants) are all probably drug addicts and heavily into substance abuse. Where are we going like this," Justice Devan Ramachandran said.

The remarks came during hearing a batch of petitions related to assignment of land to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the state.

During the hearing, the court said that while the government was saying it will provide housing to these people, how will it ensure they have a source of livelihood?

It pointed out that over 50 lakh from other states were working in Kerala, but people here do not have jobs.

This was leading to the younger generation resorting to crimes or drugs, the court said.

A man, wanted in an attempt to murder case, was hacked to death and his leg chopped off on December 11 by a gang of 12 assailants in Pothencode area of Thiruvananthapuram district.

Several of the accused in the case have been arrested, police has said recently.

On Saturday (December 11) afternoon, the assailants tracked the victim to Pothencode where he was staying in the house of a distant relative.

On seeing the gang coming to attack him, the victim rushed into the home of his relative, but the assailants also forced themselves into the house and hacked him several times and chopped off his leg in front of the others there, including children, the house owner told the media.

The house owner also said that the victim was a distant relative of his wife and had come there seeking work.

The victim was rushed to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, but his life could not be saved, police had said.

The assailants, while fleeing the scene, threw the limb on the road, police had said.