I'm innocent, can't live as criminal – Police face heat over Wayanad youth's last message

The police have initiated a departmental probe following the suicide of a 20-year-old youth named Rathin, a native of Unanthi, Mankani tribal settlement near Anchukunnu, Panamaram. Before Rathin went missing, he had sent a video message to his sister Remya.

In the message he said that police threatened him with slapping POCSO charges after he was found talking to a girl in his autorickshaw. " There was nothing between us, but society and police have driven me to this end," he posted in the video.

Soon after sending the message, the youth went missing, and his body was recovered from the river. The suicide triggered a row as the video became widely circulated. In the video message, Rathin said that he was going to end his life as he had been booked under POCSO, which meant endless ordeal for him.

"I have a friendship with a girl and had a chat with her. Police saw this and booked me under POCSO. I am innocent. Even if I prove that I am innocent in front of society, I will be a criminal for my entire life. I am tying my hands before jumping into the river to prevent myself from escaping," he said in the video. The youth also asked his sister to look after his mother and to bury his body in front of his home so that he could always see it.

Wayanad District Police Chief Taposh Basumatary has ordered the District Crime Branch to investigate the case in detail and submit a report as soon as possible. Kambalakkad police have denied the allegations that the youth was threatened. A petty case was registered after the relatives of the girl had raised a verbal complaint against the youth. He had picked up the girl in his auto, police said.

According to relatives of Rathin, the youth was allegedly threatened by the police over his friendship with a tribal girl with whom he had a chat in his autorickshaw. Mohanan, Rathin's uncle, said that there was no complaint from any of the girl's relatives. They were talking in the presence of another girl in a public spot.

"We are suspicious about the version of the police as the Kambalakkad police initially said that they had slapped no case against Rathin. Later, they said they had slapped a petty case against him. Police had spotted the duo during patrol and, after realising that the girl was underage, hired an autorickshaw and sent the two girls home. They also directed the youth to report at the station where they might have threatened him of registering a case under POCSO,” said Mohanan.