The body of the migrant worker who was allegedly beaten to death by a mob at Valakam in Muvattupuzha continues to languish in the hospital even a week after the incident as his family reportedly finds it hard to mobilise resources to make a trip here to receive the body.
Asok Das, 32, of Arunachal Pradesh, was allegedly chased down, tied to a pole and beaten to death in what the police had since confirmed to be a case of mob lynching. The police had since arrested 10 persons on charge of murder.
Though two persons had come earlier this week to receive the body, the police declined after it emerged that they were merely friends of the victim’s brother-in-law who was settled in Cooch Behar in West Bengal. The police insisted that the no-objection certificate (NoC) for transporting the body would be issued only if blood relatives turned up to receive the body. The two had since returned.
“The family had raised ₹25,000 for their trip here from Bengaluru and Hyderabad and another ₹10,000 for their return. The victim’s brother and sister are willing to come here, but they hardly have the resources to meet the expenses, including ticket fare. Though the police had contacted the family, they still remain in the dark about what to do,” said George Mathew, coordinator, Progressive Workers Organisation.
The district administration had already issued directions to the Labour department to meet the expenses of sending the body back to Arunachal Pradesh. “We have put in place all arrangements to transport the body, which we can do as soon as we receive the NoC from the police,” said Labour department sources.
It has emerged that the victim’s father had migrated from West Bengal to Arunachal Pradesh long ago. The family is economically backward and lives in the hinterland with little transportation facilities.
