Youth forced to carry father in his arms: KSHRC seeks report

TNN | Apr 16, 2020, 04:40 IST

Kollam: The Kerala state human rights commission (KSHRC) has sought a report from the district police chief with regard to an incident in which a youth was forced to carry his ailing father on his shoulders back home from the Punalur Taluk Hospital.
Punalur police stopped a youth, Roymon, 30, of EFM Colony, Kulathupuzha, who was going to the taluk hospital in his autorickshaw to bring his father, George, 89, back home after he was discharged from the hospital. When he reached the hanging bridge, police stopped him citing that he didn’t possess the relevant documents of the vehicle. Though he said that he wanted to bring his aged father back home from the hospital, the police officers were unrelenting. The youth walked nearly a kilometre to reach the hospital and returned carrying his father on his shoulders, all under the scorching sun.
Though the policemen on the road saw the youth carrying his father on his shoulders, they did not show any leniency to them. According to the youth, the Punalur circle inspector asked for the vehicle’s documents and though he showed the documents they did not allow him to take the autorickshaw to the hospital.
However, the police version is that the youth did not have the affidavit stating that he was going to the hospital. Also, there were no hospital documents with him. When the incident attracted severe criticism, police came out with another justification that the town witnessed heavy traffic as several people breached lockdown restrictions, which forced the police to act tough. However, higher authorities have said that they would enquire about the incident.
KSHRC has said that after receiving report from the district police chief they would consider the case at its next sitting to be held in Kollam.