Palakkad: A dalit youth committed suicide near here on Tuesday allegedly following police threats over a case registered against him in connection with a hartal over two months ago. Santosh, 27, of Pallatheri, a daily wage worker, was found hanging on a tree amidst bushes near his house at 2.30 pm. It is alleged that an ASI at Kasaba police station here had been asking him to pay compensation for breaking the windshield of a KSRTC bus during the hartal. Cases had been registered against four persons and they were asked to pay a total fine of Rs 64,000.
Two of them paid the fine, but Santosh could not do it. The ASI had threatened him over phone that he would be held from his workplace. The relatives of Santosh said that he was upset after he received a call from the police station at noon on Tuesday.
When the police led by Kasaba CI reached the place where Santosh was found hanging, the locals protested demanding the presence of the ASI to answer their queries. The protestors also blocked the Palakkad-Pollachi road. Later, after the CI promised to conduct a detailed inquiry, the people allowed the cops to conduct an inquest of the body.
