Published Jul 10, 2026 | 9:25 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 10, 2026 | 9:25 AM
Assault. Representative image. (iStock)
Synopsis: The Kerala police arrested six people in Perumbavoor for allegedly assaulting and publicly humiliating a group of youngsters. The vigilantism was carried out, accusing the youngsters of being ganja peddlers.
As the Kerala government intensifies its anti-drug campaign across the state, concerns are mounting over incidents of vigilantism carried out in the name of fighting narcotics.
One such episode unfolded in Perumbavoor in the Ernakulam district on the evening of Wednesday, 8 July, where three young men were allegedly subjected to a brutal public assault and humiliation after being wrongly branded as ganja peddlers.
On Thursday, the Perumbavoor police arrested six men in connection with the incident that took place in Kandanthara near Bhai Colony.
Those arrested are Sajeed ES (34), Mahim Kutty KP (42), Shameer PV (46), Sherif KA (54), Rafeeq Moideen (57) and Anwar KA (50), all residents of Perumbavoor. They were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-I, Perumbavoor and remanded to judicial custody.
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According to investigators, the arrests followed a detailed probe that included scrutiny of CCTV footage collected from the locality. Police said the investigation is continuing to identify whether more people were involved in the attack.
The victims — Alvin Shaji (20), Muhammed Alfas (20) and Gokul Deepak (18), all from the Perumbavoor area — were intercepted by a group outside a soda factory at Kandanthara. The mob accused them of supplying ganja to a schoolboy, an allegation the victims denied.
Based on the complaint and the FIR, Alvin and Alfas were allegedly dragged into a changing room inside the factory, where they were stripped and assaulted with wooden planks. Gokul was also allegedly attacked.
The FIR further states that all three youngsters were forced to kneel on a public road before the crowd. The accused allegedly used an electric trimmer to shave their heads, publicly humiliating them before allowing them to leave. The victims were allegedly subjected to what police described as a form of “public trial” both inside the factory premises and outside in full public view.
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Following statements recorded from the victims, the Perumbavoor police registered a case under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The charges include unlawful assembly, rioting, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, voluntarily causing hurt, assault with intent to dishonour a person, use of criminal force, criminal intimidation and the use of obscene and abusive language.
The incident has renewed concerns over self-styled anti-drug groups taking the law into their own hands.
It comes at a time when the state government is pressing ahead with an intensified anti-drug campaign, even as instances of vigilante action have surfaced in different parts of Kerala.
In recent months, there have also been reports of social media influencers and informal anti-drug squads conducting unauthorised “raids” and publicly targeting individuals, including migrant workers, raising questions over the dangers of mob justice and the erosion of due process.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
