Police swung into action and took the accused into custody on Friday morning.
A case has been filed against a Kerala man for kicking a six-year-old boy who was leaning on his car.
CCTV footage of the incident showed a boy leaning against a stationary white car on a busy road when the driver gets out, says something to the boy and kicks him in the chest. The boy, who is from a migrant worker family from Rajasthan, quietly moves away and the man gets back inside his vehicle.
Soon after, some locals can be seen gathering around the car and questioning the driver. After being confronted, the man drives away,
The police registered a case against the man, Shihshad, a resident of Ponnyampalam. He was taken into police custody.
A young lawyer, who was an eyewitness, informed the police about the incident, which took place at around 8:30 pm. Shihshad was called to the police station but was released, enraging locals.
However, the police came under fire after the CCTV footage went viral on social media and was also picked up by news channels.
Police swung into action and took the accused into custody on Friday morning.
Assembly Speaker and Thalassery MLA AN Shamseer said a case would be registered soon and stringent action would be taken against the accused.
Expressing shock over the incident, state Education Minister V Sivankutty said humanity is not something which you can buy from shops.
"How cruel is it to kick away a six-year-old for leaning on a car. All legal action will be ensured. Such incidents should not be repeated," the minister said in a Facebook post.