4 months ago
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Hithesh Sanker, forensic surgeon astatine the Government Medical College Hospital, Thrissur, is struggling hard these days to motion disconnected the blood-stained memories of the post-mortem introspection performed connected Ram Narayan Baghel, a Chhattisgarh native, connected December 18, 2025.
Over his vocation spanning a fewer decades, Dr. Sanker has conducted hundreds of post-mortem examinations. However, the 1 connected Ram Narayan painfully stood out. Not an inch connected the 31-year-old migrant worker’s assemblage was near untouched, each portion bore the marks of relentless blows. Dr. Sanker says helium had ne'er seen a quality assemblage truthful violently assaulted by different humans.
The assemblage bore the unmistakable scars of a meticulously executed mob lynching. After Madhu, a tribal younker lynched successful Attappady successful 2018, the sanction of Ram Narayan present stands arsenic a haunting reminder of the inhumanity unleashed by a radical of radical successful Kerala.
Ram Narayan reached Palakkad connected December 13 successful hunt of work. He stayed with his relative Sasikanth, a mason astatine Kanjikode, for a mates of days, but could not find a suitable job. Missing his 2 children, aged 8 and 10, helium decided to instrumentality to Chhattisgarh. Yet connected the day of December 17, helium someway wandered into a residential country astatine Attappallam, adjacent Walayar, lone to beryllium seized, interrogated and brutally lynched by a mob that accused him of theft.
Assaulted for hours
The onslaught reportedly began astir 3 p.m. and continued mercilessly for hours. The constabulary were called successful astatine 7 p.m. arsenic the migrant idiosyncratic collapsed. He was rushed to the Government District Hospital successful Palakkad, but succumbed to his injuries soon after. A post-mortem introspection conducted the adjacent time astatine the Government Medical College Hospital, Thrissur, revealed that helium had died of terrible interior bleeding. From caput to toe, his assemblage bore injuries, and galore of his bones were broken.
Dr. Sanker, who led the post-mortem examination, emotionally wrote connected his Facebook leafage connected December 19: “The back, chest, arms, legs and adjacent the caput and encephalon bore marks of brutality everywhere. This was not an enactment of momentary anger, but the unsighted frenzy of a mob and the implicit lack of humanity.”
“If adjacent 1 idiosyncratic successful that pack had raised his/her dependable against the attack, a quality beingness could person been saved,” says Dr. Sanker.
Eight arrested
The constabulary arrested 8 radical successful 3 phases. Anu Kallangadu (38), Prasad Mahalkadu (34), Murali Mahalkadu (38), Anandan (55), and Vipin (30) were among the archetypal to beryllium arrested. Later, Vinod, Jagadeesh and Shaji were arrested, each residents of Attappallam. A fewer much suspects are absconding.
Some of those arrested are allegedly Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, and the mode successful which they attacked Ram Narayan bore wide xenophobic overtones. As they attacked him, they repeatedly branded him a Bangladeshi and turned their prejudice into brutal violence.
The incidental rapidly sparked governmental outrage, with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the State authorities targeting the BJP implicit the attack.
‘Victim of radical hatred’
“Ram Narayan is simply a unfortunate of the radical hatred being dispersed by the Sangh Parivar crossed the country. He was attacked aft being stigmatised arsenic a Bangladeshi,” accuses Local Self-Governments Minister M.B. Rajesh. Higher Education Minister K. Bindu, Revenue Minister K. Rajan and CPI(M) State caput M.V. Govindan echoed akin concerns. “The BJP is attempting to replicate its northbound Indian policies of hatred present (Kerala),” alleges Bindu.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan besides targeted the BJP and the RSS, stating that the lynching was driven by ideologies of hatred. “Some of the accused person transgression inheritance and a communal mindset. They are attempting to transplant the mob unit successfully carried retired by the Sangh Parivar successful northbound Indian States to Kerala,” helium notes, portion informing that specified attempts would stay lone a imagination of the Sangh Parivar.
BJP’s stance
On its part, the BJP astatine the nationalist level framed the mob lynching arsenic a nonaccomplishment of the State government. Party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala claimed the authorities was utilizing the incidental to disguise its shortcomings, portion Tom Vadakkan accused the CPI(M) of diverting attraction with mendacious narratives. “The CPI(M) has go a communicative machine,” helium alleges.
At the section level, the BJP said that it was lone a mob onslaught and that those liable should beryllium punished. “There is thing governmental astir it. The BJP does not enactment mob violence. In 2018, respective CPI(M) workers were progressive successful the lynching of Madhu astatine Attappadi, but nary 1 treated it arsenic a governmental lynching,” argues BJP territory vice-president C. Krishnakumar, portion questioning the government’s alleged nonaccomplishment to forestall the recurrence of specified attacks.
Ram Narayan was the 5th idiosyncratic from different States to get lynched successful Kerala successful 10 years. In April 2024, 24-year-old Ashok Das from Arunachal Pradesh was beaten to decease astatine Muvattupuzha successful Ernakulam district. In May 2023, a 36-year-old Rajesh Manjhi from Bihar was killed successful a mob onslaught adjacent Kondotty successful Malappuram district. In July 2018, 50-year-old Manik Roy from West Bengal was beaten to decease astatine Anchal successful Kollam district. In May 2016, 29-year-old Kailas Jyoti Borah from Assam was lynched astatine Chingavanam successful Kottayam district.
Even arsenic governmental Kerala expressed shock, the lynching hardly rattled the State’s taste circles. Both the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan called the incidental a disgrace to Kerala, a State that had begun referring to migrant workers arsenic “guest workers.” Satheesan besides tendered an apology to the radical of Chhattisgarh and to the bereaved family.
Protests sparse successful Palakkad
Protests against the incidental were sparse successful Palakkad. A tiny radical nether the banner of Palakkad Munnottu staged a candlelight protest, symbolically calling for “light to dawn connected those who person mislaid their humanity.”
In Thrissur, socio-political leaders came unneurotic to signifier the Justice for Ram Narayan Baghel Action Committee, stepping guardant to enactment the victim’s struggling family. The committee’s involution prompted the State authorities to denote an ex gratia of ₹30 lakh for the household and to acceptable up a peculiar probe squad (SIT) to probe the incident. “₹10 lakh each volition beryllium invested successful the sanction of the victim’s 2 children,” promised the Chief Minister.
The Chhattisgarh authorities has announced a fiscal assistance of ₹5 lakh for Ram Narayan’s family. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has urged the Kerala authorities to instrumentality strict ineligible enactment against the perpetrators.
State Police Chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar said that the accused would besides beryllium booked nether the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Palakkad District Police Chief Ajit Kumar, who heads the SIT, expressed assurance successful securing condemnation to the accused. “We are going each out—not emotionally, but professionally. Our extremity is to implicit the probe rapidly portion gathering the maximum technological evidence,” helium says.
Changed ineligible scenery
The constabulary are alert that Ram Narayan’s lawsuit whitethorn deficiency the benignant of nationalist advocacy seen successful the Madhu lynching lawsuit successful Attappadi. In that case, the accused were convicted lone aft six years, with galore witnesses turning hostile during the trial. However, the ineligible scenery for mob lynching has changed since Madhu’s time, and specified transgression are present treated with acold greater severity.
Until the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), mob lynching did not pull stringent punishment. Earlier, specified cases were dealt with nether Section 308 of the IPC, which prescribed a maximum condemnation of 7 years’ imprisonment on with a fine.
With the BNS present successful force, mob lynching has been elevated to the level of execution nether Section 103(2). “Lynching is present treated arsenic a acold much superior offence and tin adjacent invitation superior punishment,” points retired P. Premnath, erstwhile Deputy Director of Prosecution. The caller instrumentality explicitly recognises mob lynching arsenic a chiseled offence, defining it arsenic execution committed by a radical of 5 oregon much persons acting successful concert, motivated by factors specified arsenic caste, sex, spot of birth, race, religion, language, content oregon community.
“Ram Narayan’s lawsuit intelligibly attracts Section 103(2), arsenic the attackers targeted him by branding him a Bangladeshi,” asserts Premnath.
Video of the onslaught
For the police, a partial video of the onslaught provides a important pb successful the case. “We program to summon those seen successful the video arsenic witnesses. It volition beryllium hard for them to crook hostile since their actions are connected record. We whitethorn adjacent see the enactment of securing an approver,” says the District Police Chief.
He said that galore of the accused had transgression backgrounds. However, the constabulary declined to gully comparisons betwixt this lynching and akin incidents successful northbound India.
Lawyer and quality rights activistic Kulathur Jaisingh has approached the Kerala State Human Rights Commission, expressing interest that guiltless persons whitethorn beryllium falsely implicated successful the lawsuit owed to the wide nationalist attraction it has garnered. National and State Human Rights Commissions person sought reports astir the incident.
Similar incidents
On the time Ram Narayan was lynched, a 30-year-old man, Vipin, was tied to a station and assaulted by a pack astatine Thenari, adjacent Elapully, hardly 15 km from Attappallam. However, the Thenari incidental came to airy astir 2 weeks later, arsenic the unfortunate initially refrained from complaining, fearing reprisals. The constabulary person since arrested 2 persons, some with transgression records. In Sreekandapuram, Kannur, a 49-year-old migrant labourer named Nayim Salmani was recovered dormant successful an unfastened crushed past Friday. Nayim, who worked astatine a salon, had reportedly been beaten up by a pack pursuing a quality implicit charges for a facial.
The recurring instances of mob lynching person raised questions astir the respect for quality rights connected which Kerala built its edifice of societal justice.
