Madhu Homicide Case: The Lengthy Path Of Dalit-Tribal Points In The Nation

The ultimate verdict on the Madhu homicide and mob lynching case was issued on 5 April 2023 by the Special Court for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Mannarkad, Kerala. This convicted 14 out of the entire 16 accused within the case that led to the cruel killing of the 27-year-old Tribal man named Madhu on 22 February 2018 in Attapady, Palakkad district of Kerala. Madhu was accused of stealing grocery objects from a close-by retailer which led to his forceful seize and assault ending in his dying. 

“… We obtained blended responses concerning the judgement that gave me each pleasure and remorse. Remorse as a result of the atrocity act was not given due significance which led to the liberating of the 2 accused. On the identical time, Part 325 was additionally uncared for by the court docket. Due to this fact, there was some level lacking within the interpretation of the court docket. The explanation for my pleasure is that, Madhu’s case isn’t a single incident within the historical past of Attapadi, even after his dying, there have been many different Madhus who had been mob lynched. However that is the only occasion the place the culprits had been caught and punished, and this provides me pleasure...”

V. M. Marsan, The chief of Niti Samara Samiti

The video of the mob lynching taken by the accused within the Madhu killing served as a mirror to the horrendous crime that was carried out within the so-called literate house of Kerala. The harmless face of Madhu together with his palms tied up in his dhotis, being crushed with none resistance attracted the guilt of Kerala society.

From the registration of the case again in 2018 started a protracted path of accusations, false witnesses, change in public prosecutors and the like. The involvement of politicians to crunch the case is one other component which badly influenced the case. All besides one accused need to serve seven years of rigorous imprisonment and a superb. 13 of the accused may even need to individually pay a superb of a couple of lakh as effectively. In the meantime, Madhu’s mom is making use of for an enchantment to query the relieving of two of the accused freely.

Additionally Learn: The Lynching And Homicide Of Madhu Chindaki: The Powerless Have The Proper To Reside

V. M. Marsan, the chief of Niti Samara Samiti (for Dalits) spoke to FII with respect to the decision. In keeping with Marsan, “… we obtained blended responses concerning the judgement that gave me each pleasure and remorse. Remorse as a result of the atrocity act was not given due significance which led to the liberating of the 2 accused. On the identical time, Part 325 was additionally uncared for by the court docket. Due to this fact, there was some level lacking within the interpretation of the court docket. The explanation for my pleasure is that, Madhu’s case isn’t a single incident within the historical past of Attapadi, even after his dying, there have been many different Madhus who had been mob lynched. However that is the only occasion the place the culprits had been caught and punished, and this provides me pleasure. . . the second factor is that there’s this public consciousness that not one of the Adivasis from Attapadi ought to transfer legally in opposition to the oppressors relatively they need to stay to tolerate all of the persecutions. It’s utterly erased from the thoughts of the folks with this verdict. Lastly, of the lengthy variety of witnesses, 24 of them turned hostile but, 14 of the 16 accused are punished. It’s a giant victory for the complete group. Anyway, our battle for equality and justice will proceed..”

The general public prosecutor Rajesh M. Menon was the one who finally labored to make clear the difficulty revealing the reality. Whereas the remainder of the three public prosecutors had been all modified one after the opposite because of critical inactions on their half. However, Rajesh M. Menon was not given his charge due from the Authorities, in line with the newspaper report in Malayala Manorama. He was solely awarded an quantity that may meet his bills to research and accumulate shreds of proof. 

Comparable incidents 

On 10 March 2023, a tribal youth named Vysakh was subjected to mob lynching in Kottekad, Palakkad district of Kerala which led to his dying in Thrissur Authorities Medical Faculty. That is one among the many many under-reported and uncared for information of Dalit or Tribal oppression within the nation. One other incident is the dying of the 46-year-old Tribal man Viswanathan who was lynched on accusations of a cellular theft that led him to the extent of suicide because of humiliation.

Walayar case where two minor Dalit girls were found hanging and the Kevin murder case are just some of essentially the most horrendous atrocities in opposition to the Kerala Dalits. Walayar case 2017 is one other lengthy story of the persevering with struggle of a single Dalit mom for the rape and homicide of her daughters. The court docket had ordered a re-investigation and re-trial of the case as a result of it additionally witnessed a big array of false witnesses and the involvement of some main political occasion staff. Kevin’s homicide case was labelled and tagged off as a pure case of honour killing however, the better implications it initiatives earlier than the group is that of a warning nature. 

The Madhu case isn’t the end-all or be-all earlier than society. It turns into solely part of the lengthy path of points confronted by the Dalit-Tribal group within the nation. As an illustration, Madhu is a consultant of the group that’s mentally depressed as effectively. Madhu remained aloof from society and resided within the forest because of his psychological sickness. Madhu suffered from melancholy from 2001-2002, when he went away to review carpentry however, he couldn’t full his research and got here again dwelling. And, like him, the totally different types of psychological well being points like anxiousness, schizophrenia, melancholy, and so forth. are widespread among the many Dalits and Adivasis.

“Day by day many information regarding the Dalits surges up, some go reported whereas, the others stay unreported. Even the media is colored and formed by some forces. On the finish of the day, we stay Madhus who’re on the mercy of the highly effective . . . The decision on the Madhu case is hope for many people, because it serves to guard us no less than judicially..”.

Karthikeyan

The psychological well being of any particular person is inextricably tangled with the socio-cultural setting round them. Due to this fact, social evils like lack of equality, justice, freedom, dignity, and so forth. can have a critical toll on their psychological well being. Additionally, in line with Amnesty International, virtually 65% of hate crimes in India in 2018 had been in opposition to Dalits, exposing them to extra stress, trauma, and so forth.

Karthikeyan, a Dalit youth from Kerala, spoke to FII concerning the decision, “Day by day many information regarding the Dalits surges up, some go reported whereas, the others stay unreported. Even the media is colored and formed by some forces. On the finish of the day, we stay Madhus who’re on the mercy of the highly effective . . . The decision on the Madhu case is hope for many people, because it serves to guard us no less than judicially..”.

Virtually each week in Kerala, the information of Tribal toddler dying fills the information both because of malnourishment or lack of medical services. These recurrent points level to the disinterest on the a part of the involved authorities to deal with their points. As for the most recent one, a four-day-old infant died in Attapadi in March 2023.

In a survey conducted by the psychiatry division in Attapadi in 2017, as many as 363 folks had been affected by psychological well being points. This quantity quantities to 1% of the complete tribal inhabitants within the area and people affected by excessive psychological well being points are between 1% and a pair of%. Most of the studies root again the actual trigger to the age-old oppressive practices and discrimination meted out to them. That is mirrored within the demographical standing as effectively, for example, in line with Dr Narayanan V, chief Medical Officier of Sami Vivekananda Medical Mission in Agali, Palakkad district, “Within the Fifties, 90% of the Attapadi inhabitants had been tribes. However in line with the 2011 census, the tribal inhabitants had lowered to 34%. The existence of the group is below menace and it requires pressing consideration“.

With a view to enhance the well being and residing situations of the Dalit in addition to Tribal communities, the federal government had launched many schemes and initiatives just like the Built-in Tribal Growth Venture, The Nationwide Rural Livelihood Mission, and so forth. however on the core of those are higher castes who spearhead them. Furthermore, these projects purposefully don’t embody anybody from the Dalit or Tribal communities due to this fact, all these stay ineffectual in follow. Additionally, the third events concerned in addition to many of the politicians misappropriate the funds concerned thereby the initiatives exist for title sake solely. 

Additionally Learn: Caste Violence and Mob Lynching: Viswanathan’s Loss of life In Kerala

The problems confronted by the Dalit and Tribal inhabitants within the nation have to be learn as an entire incorporating the varied political, social and cultural components concerned. It’s because it’s a lengthy story of systemic oppression sprouting from totally different corners of society. Studying every one among them individually tends to undertaking them solely as uncommon and private incidents. Additionally, it’s the group who is aware of their issues and desires, therefore all the federal government initiatives being formulated and applied ought to embody the group members each on the institutional and sensible stage or, these initiatives will stay purposeless and in print solely.

The media also needs to take up the problems confronted by the marginalised sections critically, not neglecting them to incidents with a couple of strains within the nook. Once more, the favored tradition can take a robust stance and undertaking these problems with the Tribal and Dalit group not as pitiful however as a actuality that have to be modified.