Palakkad (Kerala) |Two men were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a tribal youth and tying him to an electric pole in Attappadi, in this district, after accusing him of obstructing their vehicle, police said.

The arrested men have been identified as Vishnudas, 31, and Reji Mathew, 21. They work as a driver and assistant for a milk collection vehicle.

According to the complaint, the victim, 19-year-old Siju from Chittoor Unnati, was walking along the Chittoor–Puliyara road in the afternoon of May 24 when he allegedly slipped and fell near a passing pickup van.

The accused claimed he had fallen deliberately to block the road and had damaged the vehicle.

The two men then allegedly tied him to a roadside electric pole and left him there for about 30 minutes, until passers-by released him.

Siju is currently being treated at a hospital, police said.

The men have been booked under relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), they added.