A man, who was booked in the case of lynching of a Dalit interstate worker from Chhattisgarh in December last year, was found dead near his home at Attappallam near Walayar in Palakkad district of Kerala on Wednesday.
An official at the Walayar police station, which has registered a case of unnatural death, said the 54-year-old man is suspected to have died by suicide. His body has been shifted to the Palakkad government district hospital for autopsy.
The deceased was among nine persons arrested by the police for involvement in the lynching of Ram Narayan Baghel, a native of Chhattisgarh, by a mob on December 17, 2025.
Baghel was allegedly beaten to death by the mob on suspicion of theft four days after he arrived in Kerala in search of daily-wage employment opportunities. On the day, he had lost his way and ended up in Attappallam. A mob, which gathered there, suspected him of theft and assaulted him. He later succumbed to injuries at the local hospital.
The accused, who is suspected to have died by suicide, was out on bail in the case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police, which is investigating the case, has challenged his bail in the High Court.
{{/usCountry}}The accused, who is suspected to have died by suicide, was out on bail in the case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police, which is investigating the case, has challenged his bail in the High Court.
{{/usCountry}}The migrant worker’s family had staged protests in Palakkad against a local court granting bail to most of the accused. In February, subsequently, the High Court cancelled the bail granted to eight of the nine accused.