Visiting Kerala’s Attapallam, where a migrant worker was beaten to death

It was with dreams of finding a job and financially securing his family that Ram Narayan Baghel, a 40-year-old construction worker from Karhi village in Chhattisgarh, arrived in Kerala’s Palakkad on December 13. Just five days after his arrival, on December 17, he was brutally lynched to death by a mob. 

With Ram Narayan’s tragic death gaining state-wide attention, theories are afloat in the media and among local residents about what triggered the mob attack. On December 22, TNM visited Attapallam, a small town near Walayar, about 18 km from Palakkad, five days after the incident. Residents expressed reluctance to speak to the media, citing the ongoing police investigation. “I was not there, I only know what people told me,” many told TNM. 

So far, the police have arrested seven persons, three of them who were with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and one with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)].

Through conversations with witnesses, accused persons and their relatives, and the police, TNM has pieced together the events that led to the migrant worker’s death on December 17.

The mob attack

One of the first persons TNM spoke to on December 22 was 49-year-old Jagadheesh Kumar, inside whose compound walls the men attacked Ram Narayan, before allegedly dragging him to a spot 100 metres away. However, on December 23, Jagadheesh and his neighbour Vinod were arrested by the police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with the murder of Ram Narayan. 

According to Jagadeesh, in the afternoon of December 17, he was resting at home when he heard a commotion outside. Stepping out, he said he saw three men beating up a migrant worker inside his compound. "I was shocked and asked what was happening. I told them they couldn’t do this in my compound. So they took him out and continued to beat him,” he said.

During our conversation, Jagadeesh insisted that even though a small group had gathered around Ram Narayan by then, only three men had attacked him. He added that he wasn’t able to identify the attackers by their names.

Police were alerted about the incident around 3.30 pm, and reached the scene at 3.45 pm. Raja N, the Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Walayar police station, told TNM that more than 50 people were present at the scene. “Ram Narayan looked tired; apart from that, he only had minor visible injuries. He was also able to speak during that time,” Raja said.

He was shifted to the Palakkad District Government Hospital, where he succumbed to internal injuries around 7.35 pm. Subsequently, the police contacted his family, and his wife, children, and brother came to Palakkad.

‘No women workers attacked’

Attapallam residents told TNM that about earlier that afternoon, a disoriented Ram Narayan had approached a group of women labourers working in a field. Some reports said that Ram Narayan had tried to attack the women, who were workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), and that they then called the accused for help. 

When TNM spoke to some of the workers who were present there at the time, they said that Ram Narayan had not attacked them and that they had not called anyone for help.

After five days of his job hunt turned futile, Ram Narayan had reportedly decided to return to his home in Chattisgarh. But on December 17, he reportedly lost his way in Attapallam. Disoriented and lost, he approached the women workers for help calling a few numbers he had scribbled on a note in his pocket. 

According to the workers, they were cleaning a coconut grove around 2 pm, when Ram Narayan approached them holding three big stones. Frightened, they asked him to leave. “Initially, we thought he had come to attack us, but when we asked him to put down the stones, he did so. Then, he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. We understood that he needed to make a call, but we didn’t have a phone with us, and nobody spoke Hindi, so we asked him to leave. He left the place,” said Sarojini, a 67-year-old worker.

The workers said that Ram Narayan appeared to be intoxicated and had picked up a stick when he left.

Reports also mentioned that an alleged theft had occurred in the neighbourhood nearly a week ago, which led the local residents to be suspicious of Ram Narayan. This was refuted by the Walayar police, who told TNM that no incident of theft had been reported in the area. 

Palakkad police chief Ajith Kumar IPS constituted a 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the investigation under the Palakkad district crime branch. Speaking with the media on December 22, Ajith Kumar said that so far, investigations do not hint at a planned attack. He also said that the police will add sections of the SC/ST (prevention of Atrocities) Act after verifying Ram Narayan’s caste certificate. 

"Further legal action will be taken as the investigation progresses. We are also reviewing any previous cases against the accused," he added. 

Hate politics?

Ten days after arriving in Kerala in search of work, Ram Narayan returned to his hometown in a coffin. On December 23, his family took his mortal remains to his village in Chhattisgarh. A construction worker, Ram Narayan came to Kerala in search of a job, taking after his cousin Sashikanth Baghel who works in Palakkad. 

In the days after the assault, a video circulating on social media showed a dishevelled Ram Narayan huddled on the ground, with a voice heard asking, “Are you from Bangladesh?” When Ram Narayan does not reply to this, a man suddenly hits him, saying that he is Bangladeshi. 

MB Rajesh, the Kerala Minister for Local Self Government, alleged that hate-driven politics practised by the Sangh Parivar led to the mob assault and killing. “Branding a person as Bangladeshi arises out of xenophobia and racial politics,” the Minister said. 

According to Bindu CS, CPI(M) worker and former Attappallam ward member, the accused are not active in politics. She said that while Anu (38), Prasad (34), and Murali (38) were active members of the BJP until a few years ago, Ananthan (55) is a former CPI(M) worker. 

The others arrested include Vipin (30), Jagadheesh (49), and Vinod.  

TNM met the family of Anu, the first accused in the case. According to them, “Anu did not beat him with the intention of killing.” 

Anu’s sister-in-law Anju told TNM that while it is true that Anu beat Ram Narayan, “it was not so harsh that it would kill him”. “Anu beat him, and that is not okay. But what is happening now is the politicising of the whole incident. A mob attacked him, not just Anu,” she said. 

Anju also mentioned that she had visited Anu in jail after the arrest. "Anu told me he went there after one of his friends called him. Since Anu speaks Hindi, the residents asked him to help communicate with the migrant worker. He was not involved in the larger attack."

‘Beaten like an animal’

The post mortem examination of Ram Narayan’s body was conducted at the Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital on December 18. The post mortem report revealed the extent of the violence he had faced. It confirmed that he was brutally beaten, suffering more than 80 injuries across his body, including severe wounds to his head. Doctors noted extensive internal bleeding and concluded that he died due to assault and blood loss from head injuries.

Dr Hithesh Shankar, who conducted the post-mortem, told the media, “There is no part of the body without injuries.” He said the assault was “cruel” and carried out “from different sides,” adding that it was clearly “a mob attack” and that the victim was “beaten like an animal”. 

The State Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and ordered an inquiry and directed the Palakkad district police chief to submit a detailed report within three weeks.

Family demands compensation

Ram Narayan's family heard about the attack and his death late on December 17, when the police contacted them. "After his death, the hospital authorities returned his belongings, and we found a white paper with a few numbers written on it. We called those numbers to inform the family," the police stated.

On December 21, Ram Narayan’s wife Lalitha, their two children, her mother, and Ram Narayan’s brother arrived in Kerala. Speaking with the media, Ram Narayan’s brother said he was the only breadwinner in their family, and the government should ensure fair compensation. Demanding a compensation of Rs 25 Lakhs, the family said that they would only receive the body after the compensation was paid to them. 

Revenue Minister K Rajan met the family and members of the action council formed after Ram Narayan’s death, on December 22. The Minister assured them that an amount not less than Rs 10 lakhs would be given to them and that this decision will be cleared in the next cabinet meeting. Subsequently, the family accepted Ram Narayan’s mortal remains and left for Raipur on December 23. 

Earlier in April 2024, a 24-year-old migrant worker was killed in a mob attack in Ernakulam’s Muvattupuzha by local residents. The police arrested 10 individuals in connection with the crime. 

This report was republished from The News Minute as part of The News Minute-Newslaundry alliance. Read about our partnership here and become a subscriber here.