Barely 2 months after the controversial acquittal of the accused persons in the rape and death of two minor sisters in Palakkad’s Walayar, yet another shocking case of child sexual abuse has emerged from the region. On Thursday, the Walayar police arrested a 55-year old man identified as Subramaniyan, based on a complaint that he had sexually assaulted an 8-year old girl in the neighbourhood. On Thursday evening, when Subramaniyan was escorted by the police for evidence collection, he was attacked by an angry mob of 100 odd persons.
The incident came to light when the minor revealed the assault to a counsellor in her school. Following this, the child’s mother filed a complaint with the Walayar police station. According to the complaint, the accused had sexually assaulted the minor on December 7.
Once the police started their search for the accused, the 55-year-old fled Walayar leaving behind a suicide note. However, the police soon caught Subramaniyan near Tamil Nadu and arrested him. On Thursday evening, at around 7 pm, police noticed a mob had gathered when they brought the accused for evidence collection.
“We saw that a crowd had gathered and called for reinforcements. Then we sat inside the jeep and drove and the mob began pelting stones at us and trying to block the vehicle. Nobody was hurt, however the glass of the police jeep was shattered during the attack,” an officer from the Walayar station told TNM.
Although the accused and the accompanying officers sustained no injuries, one member of the crowd was hospitalised following the incident.
A case has been registered against the mob under sections 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 147 (punishment for rioting), 143 (unlawful assembly), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty) read 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the IPC and section 1 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act,1984.
Meanwhile, the accused man had been booked under sections 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) and 376 (rape) of the IPC and section 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) read with 5 (m) (aggravated penetrative sexual assault on a child below 12 years of age) of POCSO Act.
“The accused has been remanded to the Palakkad sub jail in Malampuzha,” the officer confirmed to TNM.
Earlier in December, a group of people had also attacked M Madhu, one of the accused men in the rape of the Walayar minors in 2017. Madhu had acquitted by the court in October. The attack happened following an altercation with a group of near Attapalam. Madhu had allegedly objected to the men calling him a rapist.