CHENNAI: A 51-year-old mentally challenged man, allegedly attacked with stones by a group of five youth, including a college student, at Aminjikarai in the city died in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Despite many locals witnessing the Sunday night incident, none had come forward to save the victim, he later told his relatives in the hospital.
Vasudevan (51), of Choolaimedu, was reportedly walking around 7 pm on Sunday at Aminjikarai when the group of youth, sitting on a wall on the roadside, apparently passed some comments on him. “This had led to a fight and the group dragged him to a secluded spot at Govindan Street at Collectorate Colony and assaulted him with stones. They also threw a huge stone on his stomach,” said Purushotaman, a relative of the victim, while waiting at the government hospital mortuary to receive Vasudevan’s body on Tuesday.
With none coming forward to help, Vasudevan had himself managed to walk for nearly 500 metres and reached another relative’s house. He was taken to the nearby hospital and later referred to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital where he died in the wee hours of Tuesday due to severe injuries.
Police subsequently booked the five youth on charges of murder and arrested them on Tuesday. They were identified as S Azaruddieen (21), Z Tamin Anzari (21), M Aasic (20), A Yasic Ali (20) and S Ibrahim (20).
Ibrahim is a second year BCom student of a private college and the rest were said to have discontinued education. They all are residents of Aminjikarai.
“One of the boys is a college student while the others are all doing some odd jobs. They were familiar to the victim, but had no previous enmity,” police said.
“My cousin from a very young age has been mentally disturbed. But he would never disturb anyone. Though his house is at Choolaimedu, he would often visit Amjikarai as he was born and brought up in that locality. So most locals are familiar to him. He told that a few residents had witnessed the incident, but did not come forward to help,” said Babu.
“Even if he finds a paper littered on the streets, he would make sure it is put in the dustbin,” said Purushotaman. Vasudevan’s body was handed over to the relatives after autopsy on Tuesday.
Source: The New Indian Express
