Karnataka: Mangaluru man killed in mob lynching over ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogan, 10 held
The incident occurred around 3 pm Sunday during a cricket tourney with 10 teams; post-mortem confirmed death due to internal bleeding and repeated blows.
A man died after being lynched by a mob allegedly over chanting “Pakistan Zindabad” during a local cricket match in Karnataka's Mangaluru on Sunday, following which over 10 individuals were arrested.
Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara confirmed the incident, stating that the victim did not die immediately but succumbed to his injuries later. He added that a detailed report is awaited and that arrests have been made.
“An incident of mob lynching has been reported involving an unidentified individual. I was informed that there are reports he was shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ during a local cricket match, which led some people to beat him. He didn’t die on the spot but passed away later. I’m yet to receive the full report. Around 10 to 12 people have been arrested and further investigation is underway,” the state minister told news agency PTI.
What happened?
The incident occurred around 3 pm on Sunday near the Bhatra Kallurti temple in Kudupu village, on Mangaluru’s outskirts, during a cricket event with 10 teams and over 100 players.
Witnesses said the violence began with a scuffle between the victim and a man named Sachin, which quickly escalated into a group assault. While some bystanders tried to intervene, a section of the crowd continued to beat the man with sticks and kicks.
Police were informed around 5.30 pm after the victim’s body was discovered near a temple.
Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal told PTI “Initially, the police registered a case of unnatural death and launched an investigation after the body was found near the temple grounds. A post-mortem conducted on April 28 confirmed that the death was due to multiple blunt force injuries and lack of medical attention.”
However, new information emerged later in the evening, indicating that the man had been physically attacked during the match.
A post-mortem conducted at Wenlock District Hospital confirmed that he died from internal bleeding and shock caused by repeated blows to his back. Investigators also recorded injuries on his limbs, back, buttocks, and genitals, inflicted with wooden logs.
"The main accused, identified as Sachin, a resident of Kudupu, is already in our custody. The section invoked in this case is very stringent—if proved, the accused, either individually or as a group, can face life imprisonment or even the death penalty. We invoked this section under the BNS as more than five people were involved in the crime," Agarwal said.
The case was registered following a complaint by 33-year-old local resident Deepak Kumar. Nineteen people have been named in the First Information Report (FIR), and more suspects are likely to be identified through analysis of CCTV footage and mobile data.
Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend the remaining suspects. Police said CCTV footage and mobile data are being analysed to establish the sequence of events.
