Mob assault, humiliation led brother to suicide, says Kerala tribal man

On Monday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, visited the family of the deceased and assured them of his support. The Congress leader subsequently alleged that Vishwanathan was the victim of a mob trial and a comprehensive probe should be carried out into the incident, PTI reported. “Viswanathan’s family should get justice,” he stated in a tweet in Malayalam, posted on his Lok Sabha office account.

Vishwanathan’s wife, Bindu, was admitted at the medical college and he was there as attendant, the family said. On Wednesday, Bindu gave birth.

A day later, another person at the medical college hospital raised the alarm over a missing mobile phone, and a group of people turned against Vishwanathan, alleging that he had stolen the phone. Vishwanathan tried to convince them of his innocence but the mob allegedly caught him and handed him to the hospital security staff.

It was alleged that the mob assaulted Vishwanathan before handing him over to the hospital security personnel. As the assault continued, the 46-year-old reportedly fled the scene, leaving behind his mobile phone, tiffin box and one pair of clothes, which were in a plastic bag.

With Vishwanathan remaining missing, his mother-in-law, Leela, who was with Bindu at the hospital, filed a complaint with local police on Thursday.

On Monday, Raghavan alleged that Vishwanathan was brutally assaulted by the mob. “There were marks of assault on his body. He would never have taken such an extreme step (death by suicide). He was delighted over the birth of a baby, born eight years after their marriage. We are demanding a detailed probe,’’ he said.

The state human rights commission and the state SC/ST Commission have registered a case in the incident.

Kozhikode City police commissioner Rajpal Meena told the media that prima facie, there is no evidence of mob attack but police will conduct a scientific investigation. He said the postmortem report indicates suicide.

State BJP president K Surendran said the incident shows the Kerala government’s approach towards people from tribal communities. His family should be given a compensation of Rs 50 lakh, Surendran said.