Tribal man dragged by car in Kerala

The incident happened near a check dam at Koodal Kadavu in Mananthavady here on December 15 evening, and the visuals were aired by television channels today.

According to police, Mathan, hailing from the Chemmadu settlement, suffered injuries in his hands, hips, and legs after being dragged along the road by the occupants of the car, who were suspected to be tourists who came here to see the check dam.

"As per the information we received, some arguments cropped up between two groups of tourists who visited the area on Sunday. Local people, including Mathan, tried to intervene in the issue, but finally ended up with him being subjected to this cruelty," a police officer said.

The 49-year-old tribal man's thumb got caught in the car door, and those inside the vehicle dragged him along the road for nearly half a kilometre despite repeated cries to stop it, an eyewitness said.

There were at least four men inside the car, and they managed to flee the area, he said, adding that Mathan was later shifted to a nearby hospital.

Mananthavady police registered a case into the incident under various sections of the BNS, including Section 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide).

"An investigation is going on, and we are yet to identify the accused. We suspect that they were hailing from Kuttipuram in the neighbouring Malappuram district," the officer further said.

Searches were intensified in border areas, and CCTV visuals were being collected to nab the accused, police added.

Meanwhile, State SC, ST & BC Minister O R Kelu on Monday strongly condemned the incident and directed the district police chief to take stringent measures against the guilty.

He said the government was viewing the attack against the tribal youth as "very serious," and all necessary steps had been taken to find out those guilty and ensure they deserved punishment.

He also directed health officials to provide all expert treatment and care to the injured tribal man.