MADURAI: A 28-year-old man was murdered by his relative for allegedly sexually assaulting the latter's minor son here on Tuesday. The incident occurred around 2 am when the father of the 9-year-old boy had a heated argument with the man, before assaulting him later in the day.
Unaware of the fact that he had killed the man, the boy's father went to Keerathurai police station and confessed to the assault. Soon after, a police team reached the spot, and found the man dead. His body was shifted to the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) for postmortem, sources said.
It is learnt that the boy's father told the police that he had spotted the deceased sexually assaulting his son late on Monday. He rescued his son and took him home. However, as the child experienced pain, he took him to the GRH, along with his wife, before going to the deceased's house.
Police investigation revealed that the deceased, a daily wage labourer in Tiruppur, was in Madurai for Deepavali holidays. The boy's father, a tricycle driver in the city, did not visit the man with an intention to murder him. However, he committed the murder allegedly in a fit of rage, after the deceased claimed that he would continue to sexually assault the boy in the future.
Meanwhile, the Keerathurai police registered a case against the boy's father on murder charges. However, no sexual assault case was booked against the deceased, as no party would be available in court to continue with the case.
When contacted, a police officer told TNIE that child welfare committee (CWC) members have spoken to the boy, and the panel will submit a report with regard to the sexual assault. Based on their recommendations and report, further course of action will be decided, the officer said.
Responding to whether compensation will be made available for the boy if a Pocso case is registered, an official from the district child protection unit (DCPU) said that the boy will be given counselling, and his educational expenses will also be taken care of. There is no need to register an FIR for the same, the official added.
Speaking to TNIE, child rights activist A Devaneyan said, "It is immaterial if the sexual assault case accused is alive or not. As the crime has taken place against the boy, the deceased should be booked under the Pocso Act. If not, it will indicate negligence on the part of the duty bearers."