Cops brutally manhandle tribal boy in Kozhikode; pressurise family to withdraw complaint

Kozhikode: The family of a tribal boy filed a complaint with Thiruvambadi police here and Childline on Friday alleging that three policemen brutally manhandled their son. The 14-year-old boy from Akambuzha Colony in Kakkadampoyil complained that the cops physically assaulted him at his uncle's residence in Kattangal here on December 20.

A few minutes after the child's family filed a complaint, the accused cops approached them requesting a reconciliation, offering money and support for medical treatment. The police officers from Kunnamangalam station met the boy and his family at Thiruvambadi station, where they went to file a complaint, and recorded the statement.

"The policemen pressurised me to change my statement. They claimed that one of the cops who manhandled me was suffering from mental health issues. I asked them whether such people are hired to the police department," said the boy.

The boy, who is currently residing with his father at Kantilappara, Kakkadampoyil went to his maternal uncle's house in Palachuvattil in Kattangal near NIT as his father had to stay away from home for work in Nilambur. His mother is staying with a family in the town as a housemaid. 

As per the boy's statement, his uncle's wife called Kunnamangalam police after an argument between the boy and his uncle led to a ruckus. 

“On December 20, the boy who studies at a school in Kakkadampoyil was late to reach his uncle's house due to the term examination. When he reached home, his uncle who was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, got angry and started to scold the boy furiously. An argument broke out between the duo reportedly leading to a fist fight. Seeing this, the uncle's wife called the police. 'Then three police officers from Kunnamangalam station reached the house and assaulted the boy brutally without questioning him,” the boy's father explained the incident. 

On Thursday, his parents took him to a clinic in Kunnamangalam for first aid. As he complained of uneasiness, he was rushed to the Mukkom Community Health Centre on Friday for further check-up.

“The police assaulted him brutally. dragged him on the floor. They stopped it when they came to know that we are from the tribal community,” the boy's father told Onmanorama.

The boy's father belongs to the tribal community while the mother and her brother are from the OBC community. 

Kunnamangalam police cover-up case?
When the Onmanorama team approached the Kunnamangalam police by Friday evening, they were not ready to confirm about the incident. 

'We are enquiring about the complaint. We have to make sure whether any officials went there and intervened. Then we will go for further action," an official told Onmanorama. 

But, within half an hour the officers from the station reached Thiruvambadi police station to record his statement, after an 'intimation'.

Thiruvambadi police said the complaint has been forwarded to the Kunnamangalam station as the incident happened under their jurisdiction. 

The Child helpline Coordinator confirmed that they have got a complaint regarding this and will visit the boy on Saturday. 

Meanwhile, Youth Congress staged a protest in front of Thiruvambadi police station condemning the attempts for reconciliation.