Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Friday strongly condemned the alleged mob lynching of an unidentified man in Palakkad district, saying seven people have been arrested and an SIT will probe the incident.
However, examination of CCTV footage and the emergence of fresh evidence revealed that a group of people had allegedly attacked the man, pelting stones at him and beating him with wooden sticks, Chennithala said. Police initially registered a case of unnatural death. In another incident in December 2025, five people were arrested for allegedly beating a native of Chhattisgarh to death on suspicion of theft within the limits of the Walayar police station.
Replying to a submission in the state Assembly, Chennithala termed the incident “extremely brutal and condemnable”, saying such cruelty could not be accepted in a progressive state like Keralam, which has achieved complete literacy and implemented progressive legislation. Chennithala said he had directed the ADGP to seek the assistance of his Tamil Nadu counterpart to identify the victim, as the incident occurred in a village bordering the neighbouring state. The incident came to light after the man’s body was found near the Moolathara dam, close to Meenakshipuram, by residents on Sunday morning.
Describing the killing as inhuman and heinous, the minister said the victim’s body bore around 52 injuries.
He said a 10-member SIT has been constituted for further investigation and assured the House that no one involved in the crime will be spared.
