An uproar erupted at the Thrissur Medical College Hospital on Sunday after the family of Ram Narayan, a migrant worker from Chhattisgarh who was allegedly lynched by a mob at Walayar in Palakkad, refused to accept his body.
The family demanded a compensation of ₹25,000, registration of the case as a mob lynching and the state government to bear the entire cost of transporting the body to his native place.
The hospital witnessed heart-wrenching scenes as Rama Narayan’s wife, mother and minor children came to identify the body. Amid tears and protests, family members and activists reiterated that they would not allow the body to be taken home unless their demands were met.
The Ram Narayan Action Council said the authorities are bound by the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in Tehseen S. Poonawalla vs Union of India (2018), which mandates speedy registration of FIRs in lynching cases, time-bound investigations and a victim compensation scheme. They also cited Section 103(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which specifically deals with mob lynching and prescribes severe punishments, including life imprisonment or death.
Activists claimed they deliberately tried to downplay the brutality of the crime and criticized the police for allegedly collecting ambulance fees from the family when the body was brought from Walayar to Thrissur for postmortem. They also objected that the family was asked to bear the cost of transporting the body home. “The government must ensure justice and dignity in death,” they said.
RDO has reportedly been appointed to hold talks with the family and human rights activists to resolve the impasse. Currently, the investigation has been transferred to a criminal investigation.
Ram Narayan had come to Walayar about a week ago to look for work and to meet his cousin Sasikanth, a mason employed in the area. According to Sasikanth, Ram Narayan was going to return home soon as it was difficult for him to stay away from his family. “He left for the railway station on the 17th. We were informed about his death only the next day when the Walayar police called,” he said.
The family and activists insisted that the body would not be brought home until the case was officially recognized as a mob lynching and adequate compensation was announced.
Published – 21 Dec 2025 20:41 IST
