PALAKKAD: One more witness in the Madhu lynching case has turned hostile during the hearing in court, taking the number of witnesses to have backtracked from their earlier position to 8. It was the 18th witness Kali Moopan, a watcher in the forest department, who turned hostile during the hearing at the special court for scheduled castes and tribes in Mannarkad on Friday.
Two temporary watchers of the forest department, who had earlier turned hostile, were terminated from service. Of the witness from 10 to 17, all of whom had earlier given 164 statements, only Suresh, the 13th witness, stood firm on his statement. He said he had seen the first accused kicking Madhu.