Kochi, July 9 (IANS) A shocking case of alleged mob justice has surfaced from Kerala’s Perumbavoor, where three young men were brutally assaulted, forced to kneel and had their heads tonsured after a group of people accused them of being involved in the narcotics trade.

The incident took place around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday near Bhai Colony in Perumbavoor and has triggered widespread outrage over the growing tendency of vigilante groups to take the law into their own hands.

The victims, all natives of Manjappetty in nearby Vazhakulam, were allegedly subjected to physical assault and public humiliation without any intervention from law enforcement.

The youths were intercepted by a group of local residents who alleged that they had come to the area either to sell or purchase ganja.

Instead of alerting the police, the group allegedly detained the three men and forcibly took them to a nearby room.

The victims were allegedly made to kneel before being beaten up.

In what investigators are treating as an act of deliberate humiliation, the assailants then reportedly summoned a barber from a nearby shop and compelled him to shave the heads of all three youths.

Following the incident, the victims approached the Perumbavoor Police and lodged a complaint detailing the assault.

Acting on the complaint, police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against six identifiable persons.

Efforts are under way to identify and apprehend all those involved in the incident.

Police have launched a detailed investigation to ascertain the sequence of events and establish the role played by each of the accused.

Investigators are also examining why the three complainants had come to the locality and whether there was any factual basis for the allegations made against them.

However, police sources indicated that even if the youths had visited the area in connection with a narcotics transaction, it could in no way justify vigilante violence or public humiliation.

Officials reiterated that allegations of criminal activity must be reported to the police and dealt with strictly in accordance with the law, not through mob action.

–IANS

sg/khz