A 24-year-old man who was harassed on Valentine day by a group of local vigilantes for allegedly indulging in vulgar behaviour at a public space, was found hanging outside his house in Kerala’s Palakkad. Aneesh and his lady friend were assaulted and harassed on February 14 near Azheekkal beach in Kollam by a group of five men.
The miscreants not only browbeat them but also videotaped their shaming. In the video, the goons could be seen asking obscene and humiliating questions to the women and the couple could be heard begging to them. They later circulated the video on social media.
The aggrieved couple later filed a police complaint and then all five men were arrested. The deceased left behind a suicide note where he has cited the humiliation on Valentine’s Day as the reason for taking his life. According to the police, the man was extremely depressed and stayed aloof after the incident, as claimed by his friends.
On Valentine Day, Aneesh’s lady friend had walked to a secluded area of a beach to relieve herself since there was no toilet nearby. A few people allegedly tried to molest her. After she raised commotion, Aneesh rushed to her help only to be assaulted and accused of immorality.
Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister P Vijayan condemned the incident and ordered the state police chief to take strict action on incidents of moral policing incidents. “Such criminal activities will not be tolerated in Kerala,” Mr Vijayan had said.
