Kerala doctor condemns latest mob lynching, renewed calls for action

Forensic surgeon Hithesh Sanker has issued a strongly worded statement condemning yet another instance of mob violence in Kerala, underscoring growing concerns about vigilantism in the southern state. The physician's intervention comes after the lynching of an unidentified man in Palakkad, one of a series of such incidents that have marked recent months.

Sanker, who conducted the post-mortem examination of Ram Narayan Baghel, a 31-year-old migrant worker from Chhattisgarh, voiced anguish over the persistence of mob killings. Baghel was killed in December at Attappallam in Walayar, within Palakkad district, in what authorities have classified as a lynching case.

The doctor's statement reflects mounting alarm among Kerala's medical and civil society communities over recurring incidents of mob violence targeting vulnerable populations, particularly migrant workers. Forensic experts and healthcare professionals have increasingly found themselves at the frontline of documenting the consequences of such attacks, raising questions about public order and communal safety in the state.

The latest incident adds to Kerala's troubling record of mob violence cases over the past several years, prompting renewed calls from medical professionals and rights advocates for stronger preventive measures and community intervention mechanisms to curb vigilante killings.