KOZHIKODE: In a shocking incident, an aggressive crowd subjected a man and a young woman travelling with him to public trial and physical assault, that too in the presence of police, at Kuttiady in Kozhikode. The crowd intercepted their car and dragged the man — a narcotics case accused booked under KAAPA — and the woman out of the vehicle before assaulting them.
The visuals of the incident that happened on Wednesday have been widely circulating on social media, triggering a fierce debate over the rising trend of moral policing and unchecked crowds taking the law into their own hands.
The violent episode traces back to a multi-vehicle road accident that occurred on Friday at Kakkatil near Nadapuram, where a car hit an autorickshaw and sped off. The car crashed into three other vehicles, including an ambulance, before fleeing.
Following this, the owners of the vehicles involved in the accidents filed a complaint. Even as search had been going on for the car by the complainants, local residents and the local police, information emerged on Wednesday evening that the vehicle was spotted at Nilechukunnu in Kuttiady. In a sequence described as cinematic, a large group of local residents on motorbikes, along with the police personnel, chased and intercepted the vehicle.
The car was driven by Ajmal Manthattil, 34, a history-sheeter with 16 criminal cases against him, including assault, narcotics, and attempt to murder. He was actively defying a ban on entering Kozhikode district under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA). He was accompanied by a woman passenger. However, instead of letting the legal process take its course, the situation rapidly degenerated into mob rule.
Ajmal remanded; no complaints regarding mob attack, say police
Alleging that the two occupants were carrying narcotics, the crowd took the law into their own hands, dragging them out of the vehicle. The people even tied Ajmal’s hands and feet together before brutally assaulting him.
The public fury did not spare the female passenger as well. They subjected her to intense verbal abuse, assault and public humiliation. They also recorded the entire incident on phones and circulated the footage on social media networks.
However, the police officials later confirmed that a rigorous search of the vehicle and the individuals yielded no illegal drugs or narcotics.
“When the people intercepted the car, they noticed that Ajmal was driving the car. However, he became violent and used pepper spray on them. At that point, a few people gathered and detained him. By then, the police arrived, dispersed the crowd and took him into custody. He was then taken for a medical examination,” said DySP Praveen Kumar T G.
Asked about the background of the female passenger and whether she faced any narcotics charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the DySP said: “She works as his associate in narcotics business. However, there is no case against her.”
Ajmal was eventually handed over to the Valayam police for violating his KAAPA order, produced before the court, and remanded to the Kannur Central Jail.
Meanwhile, the police claim that they are reviewing the video footage to identify the people who attacked the duo. On why no cases were filed against the attackers, Praveen Kumar said: “We haven’t received any complaints regarding the mob attack.”