Alleged police assault on 15-year-old protester sparks outrage in Kerala

The alleged assault by the police on a 15-year-old boy who was participating in an agitation against the opening of a granite quarry at Purakkalamala near Meppayur in Kozhikode district in Kerala has triggered protests seeking immediate department-level action against the police officers.

The parents of the injured boy will soon submit their complaint to the Chief Minister and the State Police Chief with the video footage of the assault.

The leaders of a local action committee which organised the protest said the police officers held the boy by his neck “in a cruel way” and dragged him to a distantly parked police vehicle. There were about 10 police officers who surrounded the minor boy and took him into custody, they alleged.

The incident took place on March 4 when the local people were staging a protest against the quarry project at the site. With the arrival of the police, some of the residents had turned aggressive. The boy was taken into custody when he was taking part in the protest along with his parents.

“The police behaved in a cruel way. There was no provocation on his part. He was dragged to the vehicle like a criminal. The police violated all manners,” said a senior action committee member.

He alleged that the police ignored the plea of the local residents to free the boy who was supposed to attend the SSLC examination in the following days.

The boy who was taken to the Meppayur police station was released after a few hours.

According to sources, the station authorities did not record his detention and the other related formalities. Officers who were present at the spot of the incident said they removed only the protesters from the spot as part of the preventive measures. They also claimed that there were no attempts to assault him in police custody.

Meanwhile, the parents of the boy said they would approach the Kerala State Human Rights Commission, child rights panel and the Police Complaints Authority against the assault. They also alleged that the police carried assaulted the boy during the custody period and there were attempts to cover up the evidence.