More than 50 men watched as Kailash Jyoti Borah (29), a migrant worker from Assam who was mistaken for a thief, tied up and left to die in the sun, struggled to free himself in his final moments, an eyewitness said.
Appu, a college student who was at the spot said, "He was in agony. But, people thought he was trying to escape. Everyone stood watching. When police came, they freed his hands and legs, but he did not move..."
Kailash, a Class XII dropout from Naamti Khongiya village in Assam's Sivasagar district, had come to Kerala looking for work.
"His father Bimola Prasad Borah, a retired railway employee, has been quiet since yesterday, while his mother Renu has been inconsolable...Kailash went to different places including Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Jorhat looking for work. But failing to find a job for the past 10 to 12 years, he had become frustrated, until he got news that there was work in Kerala ...He went to Kerala with two other boys from our village," said Kankan Jyoti Borah, his cousin.
After boarding Vivek Express from Mariani Saturday, Kailash and his friends — Gokul Gogoi and Rupam Gogoi — reached Kottayam at 4 am Wednesday.
"From there, we boarded a bus to Chingavanam, where a few others from our area are already working in a pipe factory...But when we got down, we could not find Kailash," said Gokul Gogoi from Chingavanam.
Locals at Malakunnam near Chingavanam said Kailash was spotted walking along the railway tracks in the area at 10.30 am. "He was screaming and tried to rush into my house. But I chased him away," said Mini, a housewife. He reportedly tried entering other houses, but was chased away.
Chingavanam SHO, M S Shibu, however, said Kailash did not attack anyone or damage any property. "His colleagues said he was addicted to liquor. He had shown restlessness for want of liquor during the three-day train journey."
Many villagers who encountered Kailash said they could not understand what he said. "He might have sought water from these houses, but our people could not understand his language," said one Indira Rajendran.
On Thursday afternoon, Kankan left for Kottayam by a flight to bring the body back home.
"His cousin, a BSF jawan, is coming Friday. After that, we will decide whether the body should be cremated here or flown to Assam," said DC Swagath Bhandari, adding that the state government had announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 for the victim's family.
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Posted by: Srinivasan Venkatkrishna <svkiyengar@yahoo.com>
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