Standoff at Thrissur MCH as Walayar lynching victim’s family refuses to receive body

Commotion prevailed at 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 receive his body.

The family demanded ₹25 lakh in compensation, registration of the case as mob lynching, and that the State government bear the entire cost of transporting the body to his native place.

The hospital witnessed heart-rending scenes as Ram Narayan’s wife, mother, and minor children arrived 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 were bound by the Supreme Court’s landmark Tehseen S. Poonawalla vs Union of India (2018) judgment, which mandates prompt 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 stringent punishment, including life imprisonment or death.

Activists alleged a deliberate attempt to downplay the brutality of the crime and criticised the police for allegedly collecting ambulance charges from the family when the body was brought from Walayar to Thrissur for postmortem examination. They also objected to the family being asked to bear the cost of transporting the body home. “The government must ensure justice and dignity in death,” they said.

An RDO has reportedly been deputed to hold talks with the family and human rights activists to resolve the impasse. At present, the investigation has been transferred to the Crime Branch.

Ram Narayan had arrived in Walayar about a week earlier in search of work and to meet his cousin Sasikanth, a mason employed in the area. According to Sasikanth, Ram Narayan was planning to return home soon as he found it difficult to stay away from his family. “He left for the railway station on the 17th. We were informed of his death only the next day when the Walayar police called,” he said.

The family and activists have maintained that until the case is officially recognised as mob lynching and adequate compensation is announced, the body will not be taken home.