Tribal man allegedly manhandled

KALPETTA: A tribal man was admitted to the Mananthavady district hospital on Monday after he was allegedly manhandled by Forest officials.

Karunakaran, 37, of Mangalassery tribal colony at Vellamunda, was admitted to the district hospital at Mananthavady with an injury on his hand and bruises on his body after he was assaulted by the forest officials, said his wife Sunitha.

She said the Forest officials had allegedly registered a case against her husband, who was employed in a ginger field in Karnataka, in connection with felling a rosewood tree from forest land at Vellamunda. He appeared before the First Class Judicial Magistrate court at Mananthavady on March 18. The court remanded him and released him to the custody of Forest officials the next day for further inquiry.

Mr. Sasikumar, divisional forest officer, North Wayanad Forest Division, Mananthavady, said Mr. Karunakaran was admitted to the hospital after he allegedly attempted to cut a vein on his hand when he was in the custody of the Forest officials