An accused in the Walayar mob lynching case was found dead near his house at Attappallam in Palakkad on Wednesday. The deceased, Vinod Kumar (54), was the sixth accused in the murder of Ram Narayan Baghel, a Dalit migrant worker.

Kumar was found hanging from a tree in an unoccupied plot near his residence at Kizhakke Attappallam around 8 am. Neighbours alerted the Walayar police, who reached the spot and initiated proceedings. A case was registered under Section 194 (unnatural death) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). 

According to the FIR, the death is suspected to have happened between 4.30 am and 6.15 am. It also notes that Kumar had been under severe mental distress after being named an accused in the lynching case, which may have led to his death by suicide.

Following a postmortem examination at the Government District Hospital, Palakkad, the body was handed over to the family, and the funeral was later conducted, police said.

Kumar had been out on bail, and the Kerala High Court was scheduled to consider a plea by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) seeking cancellation of his bail.

The case relates to the death of Ram Narayan Baghel (40), a migrant worker from Chhattisgarh, who was assaulted by a mob at Attappallam on December 17, 2025, just days after arriving in Kerala in search of work. He succumbed to his injuries the same day while undergoing treatment. The postmortem report confirmed that the death resulted from injuries sustained in the assault.

Baghel was allegedly detained, questioned, and attacked by a group that accused him of theft. Nine persons were arrested in connection with the incident under Section 103(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with mob lynching, along with relevant provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.