A migrant labourer from Uttar Pradesh was lynched by young men in Onnalvadi on Thursday on the suspicion of being a ‘potential child kidnapper’. A video of the incident went viral on Whatsapp.
The man in his 20s was rushed to Hosur government hospital by the police, where he was declared brought dead.
In its wake, seven men were arrested and remanded under Section 304(ii) of CRPC for culpable homicide amounting to murder. The men were identified from the graphic video that showed the victim, all bloodied and evidently in his last gasps of breaths, being picked up and hurled down, before being kicked again.
According to sources, the victim, along with two other friends, employed in an unidentified unit near Onnalvadi village, was seen walking around. Some local men intercepted non-Tamil speaking labourers and bullied them. Two others escaped from the spot, while the victim was cornered and lynched.
The incident occurred barely hours after the district police issued a press statement warning the public in Hosur, which has a sizeable migrant population, of any excess based on rumours or suspicion.
The press statement by the police was prompted last week after a man was roughed up by the locals in Kelamangalam in Denkanikottai. The victim, however, was a native of Dharmapuri. However, no case was registered.
Companies alerted
Meanwhile, the police reached out to companies and industrial units in Hosur. Sipcot police issued a circular to the HR managers to convey specific guidelines to migrant workers.
Workers were advised to refrain from strolling in residential areas, largely restrict their movement between their places of work to places of stay, carry ID cards at all times, show their ID card or ESI card or any local proof immediately if they are suspected, and ensure safety and refrain from unwanted activities in the areas they stay in.
