A tribal man was subjected to creulty and dragged over 400 meters with his thumb stuck to the door of the car of tourists in Wayanad district. A tribal man, Mathan, was standing near a tourist place when two groups started a verbal dual at a check dam site in Koodal Kadavu. Soon, Mathan questioned a group trying to calm the situation. However, the accused angered by it, pushed Mathan towards the car and held his hand. His finger reportedly got stuck in the car door. Yet, the accused allegedly dragged him with the stuck finger to over 400 metres before halting the vehicle.
After the incident, the occupants of a car allegedly attacked Mathan and left him abandoned on the roadside before fleeing the scene.
Locals quickly responded and took him to Mananthavady Government Medical College Hospital for treatment.
The Mananthavady police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the matter. Minister for the Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes, O.R. Kelu, strongly condemned the attack, describing it as a grave offense. He also assured strict legal action against the culprits.
He also directed the Superintendent of the Medical College Hospital and officials from the Scheduled Tribe Development Department to ensure Mathan receives comprehensive medical care and support.
A police officer told PTI: "As per the information we received, some arguments cropped up between two groups of tourists who visited the area on Sunday. Local people, including Mathan, tried to intervene in the issue, but finally ended up with him being subjected to this cruelty,"
"An investigation is going on, and we are yet to identify the accused. We suspect that they were hailing from Kuttipuram in the neighbouring Malappuram district," the officer added.