Malappuram man hangs self after suspected moral policing

Photos circulating on social media showed the youth, hands tied with a rope apparently after a rough-up, in a pitiable state.

Malappuram: A man killed himself by hanging in his house on Friday after a mob attacked him on August 28 for alleged trespass. Photos circulating on social media showed the youth, hands tied with a rope apparently after a rough-up, in a pitiable state. A moral policing bid is suspected.

A night patrol team of Kalpakanchery police had arrested Muhammed Shajid, 23, son of Musthafa, Poozhithara house, after locals complained that he trespassed into a house in Kuttippala in an inebriated state.

The police took him to a hospital for medical examination. The police said he had not been injured. The police said the family had filed no complaint and the man was subsequently let off.

“Initially, there were no complaints from either side and hence no cases were registered. The man was in an inebriated state. The body has been sent to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, for a postmortem examination. Action would be taken against those who found guilty,” district police chief Prateesh Kumar said. He said the police had not received any directive from the State Human Rights Commission on the incident.

The relatives said the photos circulated fast and this would have prompted Muhammed Shajid to take the extreme step. The police said they were unaware of the photos being circulated on social media.

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