Rajesh Manjhi, who was lynched by a mob at Kizhissery near Kondotty in Kerala’s Malappuram district on Saturday, reportedly begged for his life before the assailants.
Rajesh Manjhi repeatedly pleaded with the mob to let go of him told and that he had not come to steal. However, all his pleadings fell on deaf years. They questioned him about theft while thrashing him with sticks and pipes for more than two hours after tying his hands.
The assailants mercilessly tortured their hapless victim for two hours till he eventually met with a painful death. The lynching took place near the chicken shop at Keezhssery, where he was working.
After Manjhi fell unconscious, the accused dragged him to a spot about 50 meters away. Later, some of them informed about the incident to a social activist who lives nearby. The social activist then alerted a police patrolling team. The assailants initially tried to float a fake story claiming that the victim fell from the terrace of a building and sustained injuries and that the victim was rushed to a hospital in an ambulance where he was declared dead.
The police initially filed an FIR of unnatural death. Later, they revealed that the deceased had been brutally assaulted by some residents, suspecting him of theft in a nearby house.
Malappuram Superintendent of Police (SP) Sujith Das told media persons on Sunday that it was a clear case of mob lynching. The police initially registered a case of unnatural death. Later, on realising that it was a case of brutal murder, they added section IPC 302 (Punishment for murder).
The Kerala police arrested nine people for brutally killing Rajesh Manjhi (36) on suspicion of theft.
It has been reported that the victim was a resident of Madhepura in Bihar and belonged to a tribal community.
Earlier in a similar incident in 2018, a tribal youth, Madhu, a resident of Attapadi, was also lynched to death by as many as 16 people in Mukkali near Mannarkkad in Kerala’s Palakkad district.