A 19-year-old tribal youth, Siju V., was allegedly assaulted, stripped, and tied to an electric pole by two truck drivers in Attappadi, Palakkad district, on May 24, following an incident where he reportedly disrupted traffic.
The accused have been identified as Vishnu Das, 31 and Reji Mathew,21, both residents of Sholayur in Attappadi, who work as milk collection agents for a local dairy. The incident took place in the Chittur tribal settlement, within the Agali police station jurisdiction.
The conflict reportedly began when Siju slipped while walking along the road, falling in front of the mini-truck driven by the two men.
According to a Maktoob Media report, Siju stated, “I accidentally slipped as the mini-truck approached. The two men got out, shouted abusive words, and attacked me without any reason. They accused me of deliberately falling in front of their vehicle, even though there was enough space for them to pass. One of them tied me to an electric pole while the other recorded the incident on his phone.”
Delayed police response
After the incident, the victim had been receiving medical treatment at the Government Tribal Speciality Hospital in Attappadi. Although the hospital notified the police shortly after Siju’s admission, authorities did not take immediate action, according to police records.
It was only after the video showing Siju tied to the pole in heavy rain for over an hour went viral on May 27 that the Agali police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused.
The FIR includes charges under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Counter complaint filed by accused
Later, the two accused filed a counter-complaint alleging that Siju damaged their mini-truck by throwing a stone. Both complaints are under investigation, with no arrests made as of May 28.
Further investigation is ongoing.
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