Chittoor Deputy Superintendent of Police M Sasidaran said the accused were drunk when the incident occurred. (File Photo)An unidentified man was allegedly chased and assaulted with stones and wooden logs by a group of seven men in a village in Keralam’s Palakkad district, leading to his death, police said.The body of the man, whose identity is yet to be established, was found at Moolathara on Sunday morning. Police initially registered a case of unnatural death, but a postmortem examination allegedly indicated that he had suffered a brain haemorrhage following the assault, prompting police to intensify their investigation.Subsequently, police arrested seven men identified as Karthik, 26, Naveen, 24, Sanjay, 27, Prasanth, 35, Kathiresan, 23, Manikandan, 25, and Suryaprakash. All seven are residents of a Dalit settlement in Kozhinjambara in Palakkad district.Chittoor Deputy Superintendent of Police M Sasidaran said the accused were drunk when the incident occurred. The victim had allegedly been seen wandering semi-naked in the area, and the group allegedly went after him. Residents told police that the man appeared to be mentally unstable.“At present, we have registered the murder case (BNS section 102). Sections related to mob lynching will be added later after taking legal opinion. They were remanded in judicial custody,” the officer said.According to police, the group spotted the man on Saturday night while drinking at a toddy shop in Moolathara. After leaving the shop, they allegedly pursued him for nearly half a kilometre and assaulted him with stones and wooden logs. The victim reportedly asked for water as he lay dying, but the accused allegedly poured toddy into his mouth, police said.The incident comes amid previous cases of mob violence in Palakkad. In December last year, a migrant worker was allegedly beaten to death by a group of people after he lost his way back to his accommodation. In 2018, Madhu, a tribal man, was assaulted by a mob in Palakkad over allegations of stealing food from local shops. He later died.Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More Tags:mob lynching