Madhu rests in peace but literate Kerala's conscience is in tatters.Attappadi: Madhu rests in peace but literate Kerala's conscience is in tatters. Madhu, son of Malli and Mallan of Chindakki Ooru in Kerala's Attappadi tribal belt, was branded a thief and brutally killed by a lynch mob on February 22, 2018. Perturbed by the many facets of Madhu's life — right from his choice of making a cave his home to his secluded, desolate life to his hunger pangs — Onmanorama set out to explore the labyrinths that Madhu walked down in his 30 years of existence.
Several questions thrown up by the barbarous murder of Madhu may remain unanswered for long. It would be tough to pinpoint the one in the mob who delivered that fatal blow. But a walk around the tribal region reveals that Madhu was the victim of a system that failed to take care of its people with falling mental health and if corrective steps are not taken, many more Madhus will happen in the tribal hamlets of Kerala.
Madhu's house at Chindakki hamlet near Mukkali, Attappadi. Less than 10km from the spot where Madhu was lynched, Team Onmanorama heard the first whispers of a disaster waiting to happen from Murugesh, a married youth with three children.
He asked in hushed tone, “Could my family also get similar help like Madhu's kin if something happens to me”. He was talking about the financial assistance poured in for Madhu's family after the lynching incident.
Murugesh of Nallasinka hamlet is one of the 500 mentally ill people who belong to the 192 tribal hamlets in Attappadi. There are hundreds of Madhus, men and women, in the tribal belt, which has a population of around 33,000. The staggering number was revealed by the doctors at Kottathara Tribal Specialty Hospital, Agali. Prabhuraj, superintendent of the hospital, said there were nearly 500 mentally ill people in the region and, of them, some 350 cases were registered in the hospital alone till date.
Murugesh had sought treatment at the Kerala State Mental Health Services Centre in Thrissur after he was referred there by doctors at Kottathara hospital. He is discharged and under medication but he has not been able to go for any work of late. Onmanorama met Murugesh and his family near the Tribal Development Department office at Agali where they were on a strike seeking permission to build a house on his property which was allegedly grabbed by the land mafia.
All India Krantikari Kisan Sabha was on an indefinite strike seeking a judicial inquiry into embezzling of funds for the uplift of tribals in Attappadi. “Murugesh came to the strike venue seeing Madhu's photo. He told me about his problems and asked about the financial aid Madhu's family received from various corners after his death. He asked me if his family would also get similar help. I was shocked,” says M Sukumaran, president, All India Krantikari Kisan Sabha, who spearheads the indefinite strike seeking a judicial inquiry into embezzling of funds for the uplift of tribals in Attappadi.
Sukumaran said Murugesh was just one among the many tribal youths who were emotionally disturbed due to financial crisis. Murugesh used to scream and beat up his kids, his wife, Lekshmi, told Onmanorama. Sukumaran talked about another youth at Goolikkadavu hamlet who helps shopkeepers with chores such as cutting firewood but keeps flashing on others. “In Boothivazhi ooru (hamlet), there are a few men who stay inside the forests at night as they are not happy with their familial atmosphere,” Sukumaran said.
When Onmanorama visited the Kottathara hospital last week, there were 23 in-patients there. Over the years, several types of mental disorders have been reported at the hospital. A major cause has been the various social issues that the vulnerable community faces.
Read Part II: Madhu the myth: Caveman to Maoist!
Read Part III: Madhu: Decoding the telltale signs of a manhunt
Dr Prabhuraj as well as Naveen Kumar, one of the three psychiatrists at the hospital, said social issues, including financial crisis and lack of jobs, could be the triggers for mental illnesses among the tribal population.
Other reasons include genetic issues, alcoholism and substance abuse. Madhu's father also had mental problems and had committed suicide.
When Onmanorama visited the Kottathara hospital last week, there were 23 in-patients there. A shop owner at Chindakki, the hamlet where Madhu's family lives, said at least five people who suffered from mental illnesses lived near his shop. He spoke about an educated youth who wanders around the hamlet and a young woman who picks up beedi stubs left by others and smokes.
Agali block panchayat president and tribal leader Easwari Resan spoke of a woman at Varakampadi ooru who loiters around the hamlet with a lot of beads around her neck and holding a stone close to her ear as if it's a phone.
The doctors as well as social activists identify weak family set-ups and poor social rehabilitation as the major challenges before them. “Many Adivasi patients refuse to undergo treatment for long. They take medicines for a short period and refuse to stay in hospitals. Often, there may not be anyone to stay with them at the hospital. Medication is not followed properly once they are home,” Dr Naveen said.
The doctors and the block panchayat president spoke of a proposed rehabilitation centre for tribespeople suffering from mental illnesses. The centre, proposed to come up at Kavundikkal, will have facilities to house 50 patients. “Karunyasramam at Kavundikkal, a government-run old-age home, will be developed as a rehabilitation centre. It will have facilities to engage residents in activities such as farming,” Dr Naveen said. He said government-appointed tribal promoters as well as health department volunteers had been conducting awareness drives among tribals on the importance of taking medical aid for mental issues.
The refrain was that Madhu's fate could have been different had he been given proper treatment and rehabilitation.
