A young man from Chhattisgarh had gone to Kerala looking for work, where he was allegedly beaten to death. Police claim the youth was 'mistakenly' suspected of being 'Bangladeshi'. The incident occurred in Kerala's Palakkad district. Police have said that five people have been arrested in connection with this incident.
The lynching
According to police sources, the deceased's name was Ramnarayan Baghel (31). His home was in Chhattisgarh's Shakti district. He had gone to Kerala for work. Sources said that on the evening of December 17, he was wandering around the Attapallam area in Palakkad district. Locals detained Ramnarayan, suspecting him of being a thief. The residents also wanted to know his identity. He was then allegedly beaten up brutally. Nothing was recovered from him, but the deceased was harassed and labeled a 'Bangladeshi'.
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Ramnarayan sustained head injuries as a result of the attacks. He died due to excessive bleeding. Doctors said injury marks were found on multiple parts of his body.
Meanwhile, a 31-second video of the youth being beaten spread on social media. In it, Ramnarayan could be heard being addressed as 'Bangladeshi' multiple times. He was even asked what language he spoke. He was unable to say anything as the blows continued.
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Police file case
Kerala police have said that a case has been filed under specific sections, and five people have been arrested in this regard. Ramnarayan's relative Shashikant Baghel said the young man had two minor children. He had gone from Chhattisgarh to Kerala in search of work.
After this incident, anger has spread among the residents of Ramnarayan's village. Chhattisgarh Home Minister Vijay Sharma said what happened was very unfortunate. He also said that all kinds of assistance would be provided to Ramnarayan's family on behalf of the Chhattisgarh state government.
