Alleged mob assault: Man hangs himself in Malappuram

A 23-year-old man who was allegedly assaulted by a group of men in Kerala’s Malappuram district was found hanging in his home, three days after the incident.

Mohammed Sajid, a resident of Kuttippala in the district, was found hanging in his home late on Friday. Relatives shifted him to a private hospital where he was declared dead.

Sajid was allegedly assaulted by a group of men in the early hours of August 28 after he was found near a house in Mammalippadi near Kottakkal, under “suspicious” circumstances. The group allegedly tied Sajid up and assaulted him and later circulated a video of the assault in social media groups. Sajid’s relatives and friends said he was under severe mental stress after the incident.

Police said Sajid had tried to enter the house in Mammalippadi but was intercepted and detained by residents of the house and others in the locality. Acting on a phone call received at about 1.15 am, a police team arrived at the house and took Sajid into custody. The team had his medical tests done at a local hospital and took him to the Kalpakanchery station.

A police official told DH on Saturday that Sajid was not tied up when the police arrived at the spot. He said police came to know of the assault only after watching the videos on Saturday. “Later in the day, residents of the house informed us that they knew Sajid and they didn’t want a case to be registered. Based on their request, we called his father to the station and released him,” he said.

Media reports termed it a case of moral policing but police refused to confirm the motive behind the alleged assault. “A case of unnatural death has been registered. Based on findings of the probe, we’ll decide on bringing in other sections to the case,” the police official said.