Kerala: Rickshaw driver assaults migrant labourer on road

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city police have launched a hunt for an auto rickshaw driver who assaulted a migrant labourer on road at Mukkola near Vizhinjam on Saturday night.
Vizhinjam police have registered a case in this regard. The police identified the accused as Suresh, an auto rickshaw driver residing at Uchakkada near Vizhinjam. Goutam Mondal, a 25-year-old migrant labourer hailing from Malda district in West Bengal, is the complainant in the case.
In the video that surfaced online around 10pm on Saturday night, Suresh is seen questioning Goutam Mondal about his nativity and demanding to see his identity proofs such as Aadhaar card after which Suresh launches a vicious attack on Goutam by slapping him repeatedly. He kept verbally abusing the complainant as he continued the physical harassment. The video of the violence went viral among social media users, who have demanded justice for the labourer and strict legal action against the rickshaw driver.
Vizhinjam station house officer inspector SB Praveen said that the incident happened around 9.30pm on Saturday. Suresh resorted to violence when Mondal questioned him of rash and negligent driving.
"Mondal was entering a shop when the rickshaw driven by Suresh hit him. He was trying to park the vehicle and was driving it in a reverse direction," inspector Praveen said adding that the accused got offended when questioned by the migrant labourer.
As he started resorting to violence, someone among the onlookers took out his mobile phone and recorded a video. He shared it on Whatsapp groups and within half an hour the video went viral and later reached to the police too. Soon a probe was launched. A case was registered invoking sections 323 (causing hurt) and 294B (using obscene language) under IPC on Sunday morning after summoning Mondal to the local police station, where his statement was recorded.
"We went to the house of the accused to take him into custody, but, his family told us that he reached home Saturday late night, packed some clothes and left immediately," the inspector said.
Goutam Mondal has been working in Kerala for the past six years as a construction labourer. He currently resides near Uchakkada near Vizhinjam.