The Indigenous Rights Advocacy Centre (IRAC) has expressed serious concerns over the alleged death of a 17-year-old tribal boy, P. Gokul, at the Kalpetta police station in Wayanad district, Kerala. As per media reports, the tragic incident took place on 1 April 2025, a day after he was taken into custody by the local police.
Gokul, a resident of Puthiya Paadi tribal settlement in Ambalavayal, belonged to the Paniya tribe, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Kerala. On the evening of 31 March 2025, Gokul and a minor tribal girl were taken into custody after the girl’s family filed a missing person complaint. While the girl was sent to a government-run shelter home, Gokul was unlawfully detained overnight at the police station — in direct violation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, which prohibits detaining minors in police lock-ups.
The police have claimed that Gokul was found hanging in the station’s toilet the following day, allegedly using his shirt. However, given the unlawful detention, the custodial setting, and the marginalised status of the victim, this incident raises serious concerns of human rights abuse and custodial violence.
Gokul had recently lost his father and was the sole breadwinner for his mother, Omana.
If the media reports are true, then it prima facie shows serious human rights violations. IRAC demands that the State Government of Kerala order a judicial inquiry into the custodial death, take stringent action against the police personnel responsible if found guilty, register appropriate criminal cases, and provide adequate compensation to the family of the victim.