The Tamil Nadu Police have been instructed by the state government to investigate the alleged mistreatment of a group of eleven Malayali tourists in 2006, which was portrayed in the film Manjummel Boys released earlier this year. The instruction was made following a complaint filed by V Shiju Abraham, an activist and a leader of the Indian National Congress (INC) from Coimbatore. 

In 2006, a group of 11 men from Manjummel, a village in Kochi had sought the help of the Kodaikanal police after one of them fell into a pit in Devil’s Kitchen, commonly known as Guna Caves. 

Speaking to TNM, the complainant Shiju said that he was only made aware of the police’s alleged mistreatment after the film was released. “We are all tax payers and every pillar in this democracy exists to serve us when we seek help,” he said, adding that it is the police’s responsibility to help people without harming them. “Should they fail to understand that, we will question them,” Shiju said.

Shiju also went on to say that even though the men who were mistreated do not wish to file a complaint, they are ready to cooperate with the authorities if an investigation is launched. “The movie only showed a small portion of what they had to endure and the truth is far more heart breaking,” he said. 

Following Shiju’s complaint, a directive was sent by KV Prasad, the Joint Secretary to Government, to Shankar Jiwal IPS, the Director General of Police (DGP).

It may be noted that the film went on to become the biggest blockbuster in the history of Malayalam cinema by collecting around Rs 250 crores in the box office. In the film, the police were shown as accusing the tourists of having murdered their friend and of having fabricated the story of the accident to avoid legal repercussions. It was also shown that the police refused to take proactive steps to rescue the man who had fallen into the pit.