Anish, Kevin P Joseph and his wife Neenu.Kollam/Kottayam: In a suspected act of honour killing, a newly wed youth from Kottayam, reportedly abducted by his wife's family, was found dead in Kollam on Monday. The police arrested two more gang members- DYFI worker Niyaz, 23, and Riyaz, 26, from Tamil Nadu. One person Ishan was already taken into custody.
Kevin P Joseph, 23, a resident of SH Mount, Kottayam, was allegedly abducted by an armed gang led by his wife's brother. His body was found in Chaliyakkara stream, 20 km from Thenmala, in Kollam district.
His body was found lying with face down. It is suspected that the body was dumped here after he was killed elsewhere. Footmarks are found on the banks of the stream.
Kevin's body was later shifted to Kottayam medical college for postmortem. The ambulance carrying his body was blocked by protestors and demands were raised to see his body. Sources said that the postmortem would take place on Tuesday.
Kerala Human Rights Commission said it was suspected to be a case of honour killing and ordered the state police chief to submit a report in three weeks if there was any negligence from the side of the police in investigating the case. National Minority commission also sought a detailed on the incidence from DGP of Kerala, district collector and superintendent of police of Kottayam and Kollam.
CM denies police laxity
Meanwhile, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan described the incident as "unfortunate" and said it should not have happened.
Police in Kottayam and Thenmala in Kollam, from where the body was recovered, were investigating the case and all efforts were being made to nab the accused as early as possible, he said.
Besides, a special investigation team will also probe the crime, he added.
Pinarayi also denied reports that police showed laxity in investigating the case initially.
Sub-inspector suspended
Meanwhile, sub-inspector of Gandhinagar MS Shibu was suspended for failing to take action in time on receipt of a complaint with regard to the abduction of Kevin.
AIG Harishankar will be the new Kottayam SP as the incumbent Rafique has been shunted out as the row over police inaction escalated.
Unrest in Kottayam
Following the incident, dramatic events took place out side the Gandhinagar police station in Kottayam on Monday. Youth Congress activists, who gathered outside the police station, ran towards SP Mohammed Rafique in rage when he was spotted there.
The SP was assaulted with a flagpole, amid a scuffle between the Congress activists and the police.
Meanwhile, leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala and K M Mani and Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, MLAs, staged a protest in front of the police station. Thiruvanchoor is reportedly on a hunger strike there.
A heated war of words too erupted between the MLA who led the protest in front of the station and Kochi Range IG Vijay Sakhare, who is in charge of the probe.
Kevin P JosephThiruvanchoor, a former home minister, alleged that the police officers had stalled the investigation by taking bribe from the abductors. He added that strict action should be taken against the guilty.
Hartal
The Congress-led UDF and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Kottayam district on Tuesday.
BJP leader MT Ramesh slammed the LDF government for the crime by saying the real culprits in the case are the Home Ministry and the CPM. The biggest law and order issue the state faces today is posed by CPM when it takes over 'quotation'. The police didn't pursue Kevin's abductors as they were CPM members, he alleged.
Ramesh sought a judicial probe into the honour killing and asked chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to give up the home ministry.
A love story gone wrong
On Sunday, Kevin's bride Neenu Chacko had approached the police station in Kottayam seeking action against the gang, which she said had abducted her husband.
Kevin had married Neenu, a resident of Thenmala, against the will of the latter's family. The woman, who arrived at the police station along with her husband's friend and relatives, alleged in her complaint that the police didn't act promptly citing lack of personnel owing to the visit of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The complaint said the bridegroom was abducted by the brother of the bride to avenge the act of marriage. The bridegroom Kevin and his relative Anish, 31, were abducted early morning on Sunday. The abductors thrashed Anish severely and left him on the way. Anish, who suffered severe injuries on his face in the attack, has been admitted to the medical college hospital.
Kevin had met Neenu as she pursued a course in a Kottayam college. The two of them registered their marriage on Friday at a sub-registrar office as the family of the girl had fiercely objected to their marriage. Neenu's family later registered a complaint with the police stating that she had gone missing. Though the police summoned the two, Kevin and Anish left the girl back at her hostel as she confirmed that she intended to go with Kevin.
Thereafter, the armed gang, which arrived in three vehicles, reached Kottayam and vandalised Kevin's house and forcibly took away the bridegroom and Anish, a native of Kalambukattuchira at Mannanam,
Though the police contacted the gang over phone, they got the reply that Kevin had jumped off the car and escaped at Pathanapuram. Meanwhile, the police commenced the search for Kevin as well as the gang, until the tragic news was reported on Monday morning.
The police said the allegation that the sub-inspector took money to delay the probe was being looked into.
The police also arrested Ibrahimkutty, the owner of the car used by the gang. Ibrahimkutty said Neenu's cousin Chinnu had taken the car from him to go to Kottayam. He said he was unaware of anything related to the enmity.
