KOZHIKODE: The police have decided to relook into the death of a minor by suicide at Narikkatteri in Nadapuram after a video emerged that showed the deceased being physically tortured by a family member. Abdul Asees Kattarath, 16, a Class X student of the MIM Higher Secondary School, Perode, was found hanging on May 5, 2020. Asees was living with his father, step-mother, brother and sister. After his death, local residents and his mother’s relatives had alleged that it was a case of murder. Nadapuram police, which registered the case, handed it over to the district crime branch in the initial stages of investigation itself. The case was closed after the postmortem report said the boy was hanged to death and found no sign of physical attack.
However, people started discussing about the incident again after a two-minute video started spreading on local WhatsApp groups. According to the police, the video was shot by Asees’ sister. It shows a young man, allegedly the victim’s elder brother, putting a chokehold on the minor, and hitting on his chest and face as he falls down to the ground.
“Doctors at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital conducted the autopsy. There were no indications of murder in the postmortem report,” said district police chief A Srinivasan. However, after the emergence of the video, Srinivasan said the police would make a preliminary investigation. If the situation warrants and with the court’s approval, the would re-investigate the case, he said.
The district crime branch DySP Shaju Jose has been directed to submit a report soon. The police are also checking how a year-old case sprung up just days ahead of assembly elections. Meanwhile, a group of people protested in front of the boy’s house on Friday night. They blamed the police for not finding the real culprits.