'He wasn't an accused in missing case', says Wayanad police after tribal youth dies by suicide in custody

Wayanad: The Kalpetta police on Tuesday said that the tribal youth who allegedly died by suicide in custody was not listed as an accused in the missing case of a minor girl. The deceased, Gokul (18), a native of Nellarchal near Ambalavayal, was found hanging inside the police station’s toilet on Tuesday morning.

“Gokul was not an accused in the case. He had gone missing along with a minor girl from another tribal community for over a week. Following an alert from the Kozhikode City Police’s women’s cell, both were brought to the station on Monday. The boy was not released immediately as certain procedures were pending,” said Wayanad SP Taposh Basumatari.

As it was too late to produce them before a magistrate on Monday, Gokul was kept at the station overnight while the girl was moved to Sakhi, a temporary stay facility for women. “The case involves the POCSO Act, so we informed the parents of both individuals on Monday. However, Gokul’s parents said they could only reach by Tuesday morning,” Taposh added.

According to Taposh, on Tuesday at 7.45 am, Gokul asked to use the toilet. When he did not return, a policeman on duty checked on him. Receiving no response, they forced open the door and found him hanging from the roof using his shirt.

The Congress party leadership demanded a high-level investigation into the issue. All India Congress Committee member and former minister P K Jayalakshmi accused the police of being responsible for his death and demanded strict action against those involved. She alleged that under the LDF regime, the atrocities against the tribals are increasing every year.

Congress leaders also opined that if there was no case against Gokul, the police should have ensured that the youth reached his home. Meanwhile, the All India Youth Federation (AIYF), the youth wing of the Communist Party of India, also came out heavily against the home department, demanding immediate action against the policemen involved in the incident.

Gokul's body was shifted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for a postmortem, which, as per custodial death protocols, will be conducted in the presence of an expert panel from the Medical Board.