One of the accused in the Walayar rape and subsequent death of two siblings was attacked by a mob at Attappallam near Palakkad in Kerala on Saturday afternoon.
A group of men reportedly picked a quarrel with M. Madhu, alias Kutty Madhu, 27, one of the four accused in the case, when he came to the local market at Attappallam. Madhu apparently objected when the men called him a “rapist”. An altercation ensued and led to the assault.
M. Madhu, alias Kutty Madhu, 27, was thrashed by a group of people around 12 p.m.
The police rescued Madhu and admitted him to the Government General Hospital in Palakkad. Three men were arrested in connection with the attack. They were identified as Krishna Prasad, Manu and Binu.
Madhu is the third accused in the rape and death of a 13-year-old girl from Attappallam. The girl was found hanging at her house on January 13, 2017, and her nine-year-old sister also took her life in a similar manner, 52 days later.
Along with the three other accused, Madhu was set free by first additional district judge Muralee Krishna S., dealing with cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Palakkad. Following widespread outrage and protests, the government ordered a judicial probe into the death of the siblings.
The exoneration of the accused, apparently owing to the failure of the police and the prosecution to present adequate evidence in the case, had triggered a nationwide protest.
Madhu’s mother has alleged that the attackers were Sangh Parivar activists. Local people however, Friday’s incident near Hyderabad, in which four men accused of the rape and murder of a veterinarian, were shot dead by the police had triggered the attack on Madhu. Some of the attackers allegedly shouted at him, saying he had no right to live.
Hospital officials said Madhu had not suffered any serious injuries. However, he will be examined further for internal injuries. The police said they were yet to identify the attackers. An investigation was on, they said.