14 found guilty in 'inhuman' killing of Kerala tribal youth Madhu
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Thiruvananthapuram: A Special Court for Scheduled Castes and Tribes at Mannarkkad in the Palakkad district on Tuesday held 14 of the 16 defendants guilty of the "inhuman" murder of Madhu, a tribal youth of 27 years old.
The judgement was rendered two months following the fifth anniversary of his killing.
The court has deemed 14 others guilty, while two of the accused have been acquitted. On Wednesday, the quantum of the punishment will be announced.
Madhu of Chindukuru in Attappadi in Palakkad was lynched by a crowd on February 22, 2018, for allegedly stealing some provisions from a shop.
A class seven dropout, Madhu learned carpentry but then started to live a nomadic life. He used to wander in the plains, hills and forests here and visit his house occasionally.
Trouble started for Madhu when some provisions were stolen from a shop. A person, who frequented the forests to collect wood, informed the locals about a man hiding in a forest cave.
Villagers, along with the shopkeeper, reached the forest and found out that it was Madhu.
On seeing the stolen items worth Rs 200, irate villagers made Madhu walk around 4 km with the provisions on his head. On the way, he was assaulted and abused.
After they reached a place called Muukkali, police arrived and took Madhu to the station where he collapsed and died soon after.
The Accused's strong political connections with the ruling and Opposition parties and the state government's delay in appointing a special prosecutor led to a slow trial.
At one point, even the Kerala High Court intervened, directing the speeding up of the trial.
When the trial began, many witnesses turned hostile but Madhu's mother and his sister bravely fought the case with the support of some well-wishers.
"We were even subjected to threats as we vehemently sought to get justice for Madhu and in our journey, there were a very good number of police officials who were considerate to us. We are happy we have come this far and now we are waiting to hear what the punishment is going to be," said Madhu's sister.
With inputs from IANS