Pregnant woman brutally attacked in Kerala; five held
Malabar (India), SVM News, October 8, 2007: Forty-year-old pregnant woman and her children were brutally attacked by the public after she was accused of a theft on October 7 at Edappal in Malappuram district of Kerala state in India.
Jyothi, a wandering tribal woman hailing from Tamil Nadu, her teenage daughter Kavitha (16) and another daughter were thrashed and punched by a group of about 50 persons that included employees of a textile shop from where a customer's gold anklet was reported missing, police said to the Salem Voice Ministries (SVM) News Service.
Jyothi
The shop employees and public alleged the woman and children were moving in a 'suspicious manner', officials said.
Despite the trio pleading that they had nothing to do with the theft, they were roughed up for about an hour and their dresses torn to find out if they had hidden the anklet within their clothes, but the anklet was not found in their possession.
Jyothi was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital and discharged later but her whereabouts were not known since then, they said adding, a five-year-old girl was also with her when the incident occurred.
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the Home Minister of Kerala has appointed P. Vijayanand, the Inspector General of Police to investigate the case and submit the report on the issue. The minister said that nobody will be allowed to take law in their hands.
A special team has been appointed to conduct a detailed investigation in connection with the harassment towards the pregnant woman.
Five persons were arrested on Monday for allegedly assaulting pregnant woman. Those held are Sanal, Jafar, Rafi, Sajibin and Shemi, natives of Edapal.
"In all, five persons, allegedly involved in the brutal attack, have been arrested and a police team, led by Tirur Deputy Superintandent of Police, N K Pushkaran is probing the incident to identify other culprits," P Vijayan, Malappuram District Superintandent of Police (DSP) said.
"And two Additional Sub Inspectors of police were suspended from the service regarding this incident", police added to SVM News Service.
The state human rights commission has sought a detailed police report and summoned the DSP on October 25. The Ponnani first class judicial magistrate court directed the police to submit its report within seven days after it admitted public interest litigation and posted the matter for further hearing on October 16.
SALEM VOICE MINISTRIES NEWS SERVICE (SVM NEWS)
