Pathanamthitta police brutality: Erumeli family returning from marriage bashed up, woman sustains fracture

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Five members of a family group who were returning home after attending a wedding reception sustained injuries and a fracture after being lathi-charged by cops in Pathanamthitta on Tuesday night.
The unprovoked assault of policemen on people, including a woman, has triggered outrage. Sithara Mol CT, 32, a resident of Erumeli, sustained a fracture to her shoulder bone and injuries to her leg.
Her husband, Sreejith, was injured on his head, while other family members, Shijin, Ajith and Ajay, were also injured in the assault by police.
Pathanamthitta police have filed a case based on a complaint filed by Sithara Mol. DIG Thiruvananthapuram range Ajeetha Beegum said that a report from Pathanamthitta SP is being awaited.
"The cops were on night duty and were responding to a call from that area. They were led by the sub-inspector. I have sought a report from the SP, which is expected today," said Ajeetha Beegum.
The group comprising close family relatives who hail from Thulappally near Pampavalley in Erumeli went to Ezham mile in Adoor in a traveller to attend the wedding reception of their close relative Suchitha. By 10 pm, they reached the bus stand in Pathanamthitta.
One of the women in the group had to be dropped off there, and while she was waiting for her husband to come from Chengara, the vehicle was halted there. In the meantime, five of the family members came out of the vehicle and were walking around when a police team, including some cops in mufti, arrived in the official vehicle and started beating them.
Sreejith tried to shield Sithara but was hit on his head with lathi by police. Sithara, who was scared, tried to run away but lost her balance and fell down, injuring her knee.
Visuals from the surveillance camera showed cops chasing them down and striking them with a lathi even as they were trying to run away. According to police, they were responding to a call from a nearby bar about a group of hooligans causing trouble. A team was sent from the station, and the cops, without enquiring anything, started beating the people around, including a woman.
"It was really shocking. I was sitting in the vehicle with the baby of my eldest daughter. One man ran to us and told us that some of our people were being beaten by police. Sithara fell down while running still police beat her," said Santhamma, mother of Sithara. Sreejith is employed as a librarian, while Sithara works as a student counsellor at a government school in Ettumanoor.
According to the First Information Report, the incident occurred at 11 pm, and the case was filed at 10.50 am on Wednesday. Pathanamthitta SHO said that he would comment on the matter later.
Under the column for suspects/accused, the FIR only shows police persons in Pathanamthitta without any names. Charges have been slapped for causing grievous hurt with dangerous weapons. The woman police station SI collected Sithara's statement in the morning.
Staff at the bar told media that a group of men started knocking on the entrance and caused a ruckus demanding liquor after the bar was closed at 10.30 pm on Tuesday night. A call was made to the police station, alerting them about the tension.