Man stabs lawyer’s elderly father for taking up wife’s domestic violence case

Kochi: An 80-year-old man was left fighting for his life after two men allegedly barged into his house and brutally stabbed him, apparently targeting the family over a domestic violence case taken up by his lawyer son against one of the assailants.

Mohandas, 80, father of advocate TM Dolgo, was attacked at his residence at Murikkumpadam near Puthuvype around 5.30 pm on Thursday. He suffered around eight to nine stab wounds, including serious injuries to his kidney, pancreas, chest and neck.

The Njarackal police arrested two local residents, Duster alias Velu and Dynaster alias Vavakkutty, in connection with the attack. The police said both have several criminal cases against them.

What makes the attack particularly disturbing, according to the family, is that it took place while Dolgo and his wife, advocate Neema, were away attending court proceedings. At home were Mohandas, his 79-year-old wife and three grandchildren aged four, six and nine.

According to the police, the accused reached the house allegedly with the intention of attacking the family. They entered the sit-out and shouted, “Where is your son, rascal?” before threatening Mohandas.

“When his elderly wife tried to intervene, the assailants allegedly dragged Mohandas outside. Velu allegedly attempted to slit his neck before Vavakkutty took the knife and stabbed him repeatedly,” said police sources.

Bleeding profusely, Mohandas was rushed to a private hospital in Kochi by relatives and neighbours. He remains in the ICU in critical condition.

Dolgo told Onmanorama that the attack was the fallout of a matrimonial dispute involving first accused Duster and his estranged wife.

According to him, the woman had approached his office after allegedly being assaulted and driven out of her home by her husband. She had been running a small shop near a bus stop but was subsequently prevented from entering the shop, leaving her without a place to stay.

“She ran a small shop near the bus stop to survive. Since she was barred from entering the shop and had nowhere to go, she approached our office seeking legal aid. As advocates, we merely advised her on drafting a complaint. My junior advocates and my sister handled it since I was away in Thiruvananthapuram and Delhi,” Dolgo said.

The couple already had matrimonial cases pending before the North Paravoor court, including petitions for divorce and the return of gold ornaments, he said.

Dolgo alleged that the woman’s husband had slashed her neck around two weeks ago, following which she fled and took shelter in Kuzhuppilly.

The advocate’s office subsequently helped the woman obtain a domestic violence protection order from the Njarackal Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Wednesday, a day before the attack.

Dolgo alleged that the accused was enraged by the order and had warned the family against intervening in the marital dispute before the attack on his father.

Dolgo questioned why his elderly father was targeted over a legal dispute in which he had merely represented a client.

“If a protection order was obtained for the woman, they could have targeted her; why come and stab an advocate’s elderly father? What did this 80-year-old man do to them?” he asked.

The attack has also left the family traumatised, particularly because the children witnessed the violence.

“My 79-year-old mother was covered in blood, and this brutal act was carried out right in front of little children aged 4, 6, and 9. They are still reeling from the trauma,” Dolgo said.

Dolgo further alleged that the accused had issued threats that they would “finish off the rest of the family as well.”

The Njarackal police have registered a case under stringent sections, including attempt to murder and criminal trespass. Both accused persons will be remanded into judicial custody. Further investigation is underway.