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.

Two places where Ram Narayan was assaulted.

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........

© newslaundry