After Walayar lynching, fresh violence in Palakkad’s Thenari: Man tied and beaten severely

Palakkad: A dispute over a loan spiralled into a chilling act of public violence here, where a 30-year-old man was allegedly tied to an electric post and brutally beaten on a roadside, police said on Tuesday. Two men have been arrested in connection with the assault.

The incident occurred late at night in Thenari, Okarampallam, sending shockwaves through the area already on edge following the lynching of a migrant labourer earlier this month.

Police identified the victim as Vipin, who was allegedly attacked by two of his acquaintances, Sreekesh and Girish. Investigators said preliminary findings indicate that the assault was triggered by a financial dispute involving a loan taken at interest.

Police said that the accused first overpowered Vipin, bound his hands and legs using a towel, and then tied him to an electric post on a public road, effectively immobilising him. He was then beaten repeatedly with sticks, turning the street into a scene of terror.

The violence reportedly took place on the same night, December 17, when Ramnarayan, a migrant labourer from Chhattisgarh, was allegedly lynched by a group of men at Kizhakeattappallam near Walayar after being accused of theft — a case that has already sparked outrage and raised serious questions about rising vigilante violence in the region.

Police said they initially registered the case suo motu after learning about the assault. The arrests followed after Vipin later approached the police and filed a formal complaint detailing the ordeal.

The two accused were produced before a court and have been remanded to judicial custody. Further investigation is underway to determine whether others were involved and to establish the full sequence of events.

The back-to-back incidents have intensified concerns over escalating street violence linked to personal disputes and mob justice in parts of Kerala.