Shankara Narayanan, a 75-year-old resident of Elangoor in Manjeri who became a symbol of vigilante justice after the murder of his daughter, passed away on Tuesday, April 8, due to age-related illness.
Narayanan drew national attention in 2002 after the killing of 24-year-old Muhammed Koya, a man accused of raping and murdering his 13-year-old daughter. The Class 7 student was assaulted and killed while returning home from school on February 9, 2001. Koya, their neighbour, was arrested and later released on bail.
Months later, on July 27, 2002, Koya was shot dead. Narayanan surrendered to the police, reportedly confessing that he had taken justice into his own hands. A postmortem revealed Koya died of shotgun wounds to the chest and abdomen.
Though the Manjeri Sessions Court sentenced Narayanan and two others to life imprisonment, the Kerala High Court acquitted him in 2006, citing lack of evidence. The court also noted that Koya, who had a criminal background, might have had other enemies.