According to police, the incident occurred when Ramnarayanan was found in “suspicious circumstances” near a business establishment where MGNREGA workers were doing road work.
Published Dec 19, 2025 | 9:04 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 19, 2025 | 9:04 AM
The deceased has been identified as Ramnarayanan Bhaiyar (31), who was working as a labourer in the area.
Synopsis: In an alleged case of mob lynching, a migrant labourer from Chhattisgarh died after being allegedly brutally beaten by a group of people in the Palakkad district of Kerala. The deceased has been identified as Ramnarayanan Bhaiyar, who was working as a labourer in the area. Ramnarayan died after suffering serious injuries.
In an alleged case of mob lynching, a migrant labourer from Chhattisgarh died after being allegedly brutally beaten by a group of people in Walayar, in the Palakkad district of Kerala, near the Tamil Nadu border, on the evening of Wednesday, 18 December.
The deceased has been identified as Ramnarayanan Bhaiyar (31), who was working as a labourer in the area. Ramnarayan died after suffering serious injuries.
According to police, the incident occurred around 6 pm when Ramnarayanan was found in “suspicious circumstances” near a business establishment — close to his residence — where MGNREGA workers were doing road work. Local people suspected that he was drunk at the time.
After the workers raised an alert, some youngsters from the area came to the spot and held him. During this time, he was allegedly beaten. Witnesses said he later vomited blood and collapsed there.
Police arrived at the spot around 7 pm and took Ramnarayan to Palakkad district hospital in an ambulance. However, he collapsed again while the ambulance was passing through Pudussery.
Police officials said there were visible injury marks on his body, indicating severe physical assault. Doctors at the district hospital declared him dead when he was brought in.
A preliminary medical examination also found several injury marks on his body, including serious injuries to his head. As no police surgeon was available at the district hospital, the body was shifted to Thrissur Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Walayar police have taken 15 people from Attappallam into custody for questioning in connection with the incident. Walayar Inspector NS Rajeev stated that the exact cause of death would be confirmed only after the postmortem examination.
Police sources said sections related to culpable homicide and unlawful assembly are likely to be invoked, depending on the postmortem findings. They added that a detailed investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events and individual roles in the assault.
Speaking to South First, grama panchayat representative and social activist Sunitha Walayar said she rushed to the spot and immediately informed the police. She also tried to arrange an ambulance to shift him, but the panchayat ambulance was under repair, forcing her to call a private ambulance service.
She said the police claimed the man was not of sound mind. “When I reached the spot, the attack was still going on. Four to five people were continuously beating him with wooden rods. The assault was brutal. I tried to intervene, but the attackers were also under the influence of alcohol, and I was alone and unable to do anything,” she said.
According to Sunitha, the crowd grew as people informed one another through phone calls and messages, eventually forming a large circle around the victim. “Almost everyone attacked him,” she added.
She further said the police informed her that the man’s relatives are believed to be in Kerala, and efforts are underway to trace them at the earliest. “More details will emerge only after the post-mortem. This was a very brutal case of mob lynching,” Sunitha said.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Dileep V Kumar and Sreelakshmi Soman.)
