On Sunday afternoon, a Muslim man from Kerala, was beaten to death by a mob of over 25 people in Karnataka’s Kudupu, a suburb just 10 kilometers from Mangaluru city. The police say he was lynched near the Bhatra Kallurti Temple, close to a cricket ground known locally as “Hindu Maidan” or “Samrat Maidan.”
By Tuesday evening, 15 people had been arrested. They are among the 19 named in an FIR filed at the Mangaluru Rural Police Station. Police say more arrests will follow.
“It happened around 3 PM. He was hit with sticks, punched, kicked. He kept begging them to stop,” a bystander who did not wish to be named told reporters. “Some people tried to intervene, but the attackers didn’t stop until he collapsed.”
According to Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal, “He is likely a Malayali Muslim aged between 35 to 40. He was not a local. We’re still investigating how he ended up at the cricket ground.”
The post-mortem, done at Wenlock District Hospital, said he died due to internal bleeding and shock from multiple blows to his back. “No external injuries were visible at first glance. He was not taken to a hospital in time,” said a senior officer.
Police have booked the accused under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Section 103(2) — a newly introduced section for hate crimes and mob lynching. This is the first time it’s being used in Mangaluru. If convicted, the accused could face life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Those arrested include autorickshaw drivers, local shopkeepers, and daily wage workers—all residents of Kudupu and nearby areas. The man believed to have led the mob is Sachin T (26), an autorickshaw driver.
When I asked the police whether politics was involved, Commissioner Agrawal said, “We are verifying links. So far, no political names are in the FIR.”
However, CPM leader Muneer Katippalla said the area is “infamous for Hindutva mobilisation.” He alleged that some accused are linked to the BJP and Bajrang Dal. “No Muslim goes there to play or even watch cricket. Everyone knows that ground is not safe,” he told me.
There were also rumours that the man shouted “Pakistan Zindabad,” which led to the attack. The police dismissed these claims as baseless.
One officer who visited the crime scene told me, “We collected CCTV footage, mobile tower data, and spoke to locals. It was not spontaneous — it looked planned.”
Police have circulated an image of the deceased to help identify him. According to Maktoob, the man identified as Ashraf from Pulpally in Kerala’s Wayanad district.
