Ram Narayan Baghel (31) from Chhattisgarh was brutally lynched by a mob on December 17 in Valayar, Palakkad district of Kerala. He had come to Kerala in search of employment and was staying with a relative. The horrific incident has sparked outrage and concern across the country.

In a video message, Ram Narayan’s brother, Shashikant Baghel, alleged that the murder was motivated by caste and religious discrimination. He urged the central and state governments to ban Sangh Parivar organizations, claiming that such groups target people based on caste and religion.

Political parties in Kerala have condemned the incident. Opposition leaders described it as an example of communal hate politics and warned that such hate crimes are no longer confined to North India, but are now being witnessed in South India as well.

Kerala Police have so far arrested more than five individuals in connection with the case, including some BJP-RSS workers. A murder case has been registered against the accused, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been tasked with conducting a detailed probe.

Preliminary investigations indicate that Ram Narayan was attacked over suspicions of theft or being “Bangladeshi,” resulting in severe head injuries that caused his death. The postmortem report confirmed that the primary cause of death was severe head trauma.

The Kerala government has announced a compensation of at least ₹10 lakh for the bereaved family. However, the family stated that compensation alone is not sufficient; strict action against the perpetrators and measures to curb social hate politics are equally essential.

Ram Narayan is survived by his wife, two young children, and his mother.