The Perumbavoor Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Friday granted bail to six men arrested in connection with the alleged vigilante assault, public humiliation and forcible tonsuring of three youths at Kandanthara near Bhai Colony in Perumbavoor earlier this week.

The accused persons - Sajid CS (54), Mahimkutty KP (42), Shameer PV (46), Shareef KA (54), Rafeeq Moideen (57) and Anwar KA (50), all natives of Perumbavoor - were arrested by the police on Thursday and produced before the court on Friday, following which they were released on bail.

The case relates to an incident on Wednesday in which the accused allegedly assaulted three youths after accusing them of supplying ganja to a schoolboy. They were identified as Gokul Deepak (18) of Marampilly, Alvin Shaji (20) of Kandanthara and Mohammed Alfas (20) of Manjappetty.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the youths were wrongfully restrained, assaulted, stripped, publicly humiliated and forcibly tonsured by the group. The alleged “public trial” took place on the premises and inside a nearby soda factory.

The accused have been booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including offences related to unlawful assembly, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful confinement, use of criminal force and criminal intimidation.

The incident has once again drawn attention to the growing trend of self-styled anti-drug vigilante groups operating in parts of Perumbavoor, particularly in and around Bhai Colony, an area that has frequently figured in police action against narcotics. Several of the accused are alleged to have been among the prominent local faces supporting the police’s anti-narcotics campaign, Operation Toofan, and had actively participated in public campaigns against drug abuse, according to local residents and police sources.

However, the latest incident has sparked concerns over individuals allegedly taking the law into their own hands under the guise of anti-drug activism.

Bhai Colony has witnessed similar episodes in the past, with residents allegedly confronting, assaulting or detaining people, including migrant workers and outsiders, on suspicion of peddling narcotics before informing the police. While local residents have repeatedly expressed concern over drug abuse in the locality, police have maintained that criminal investigations must be carried out strictly in accordance with the law and that no individual or group has the authority to punish or publicly humiliate suspects.

The incident also comes amid increasing scrutiny of self-styled anti-drug squads and social media personalities who have been conducting unauthorised ‘raids’ and public interrogations, particularly targeting migrant workers, while claiming to expose drug networks during the state-wide anti-narcotics drive, Operation Toofan.

Several YouTubers and online influencers have uploaded videos showing themselves questioning and searching migrant labourers, often recording and publishing the encounters on social media. In one such widely circulated video, a man was seen carrying a cane and threatening migrant workers, including women, while accusing them of involvement in drug trafficking and prostitution.

The police have repeatedly cautioned that while public cooperation is essential in combating narcotics, vigilantism, public humiliation and unlawful detention constitute criminal offences and cannot be justified under the banner of anti-drug campaigns.