Seven men from Meenakshipuram were taken into custody on Oct. 10 after police uncovered the body of a mentally challenged drifter who had been beaten to death near Moolathara Dam. The accused—Karthik, Sanjay, Manikandan alias Gunal, Kathiresan, Naveen, Prasanth Kumar and Suryaprakash—were aged between 22 and 35, and police say they were intoxicated when the assault occurred.
The violence began at around 10 p.m. when the men chased the drifter from their colony, only to circle back later that night after a drinking spree. They ambushed him on a roadside adjacent to a ward member’s house, striking him with dried coconut leaf stalks, broken branches, kicks and punches until he collapsed, begging for water before the attackers offered him alcohol and continued the beating.
Police registered the case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) after the body was found 300 metres from the attack site, and later amended it to Section 302 following a thorough investigation. The incident has been listed as an unnatural death under BNSS, prompting a formal charge‑sheet filing.
A statewide notice has been issued to help identify the victim, and the police are preparing a charge sheet that will be presented to the Palakkad district court on Oct. 20. The court hearing is scheduled for the following month.
In the wake of the tragedy, local resident P. N. Menon, 68, expressed that the community feels a mix of anger and sorrow, hoping that a swift verdict will deter future violence against vulnerable people.