Three police officers from Mangaluru Rural Police Station have been suspended for their negligence in handling a mob lynching incident that occurred on April 27, when a Muslim man from Kerala, Ashraf, was beaten to death by a mob at a cricket ground. The officers suspended include Inspector Shivkumar K R, Head Constable Chandra P, and Constable Yallalinga.
The incident was initially reported as an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) after witness Deepak called the police station to inform them about the lynching. However, the rural police station, led by Inspector Shivkumar, failed to take appropriate action by not informing higher authorities about the gravity of the situation.
Witnesses later revealed that Head Constable Chandra P ignored Deepak’s testimony about the lynching, while Constable Yallalinga, who was present at the cricket ground, failed to report the incident, despite witnessing it. This negligence came to light after the autopsy report indicated that Ashraf had died due to mob violence, leading the case to be reclassified as a mob lynching.
As of now, 20 suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident. The lynching has sparked widespread anger, especially after it was revealed that the police failed to act promptly despite multiple reports. For Ashraf’s family, the tragedy is compounded by the fact that they had recently lost their grandmother, just four days before Ashraf’s death.
Ashraf’s brother, Abdul Jabbar, shared his grief with the media, saying that the family was informed of the incident by the Wayanad Special Police Force. “We were informed about the incident by the Wayanad special police force,” he said.
Initially, the identity of the deceased remained unknown until Ashraf’s family from Kerala identified the body. There have been various communal claims circulating around the incident, with some miscreants suggesting that Ashraf was attacked for allegedly raising the “Pakistan Zindabad” slogan. However, the true motive behind the attack remains unclear, and investigations are ongoing.
