Mangaluru: A man was allegedly beaten to death by a group of people over a dispute during a cricket match in the outskirts of the city, following which 15 people have been arrested, police said Tuesday.
Terming the incident as “mob lynching”, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said he has not yet received the report but assured that the case will be taken very seriously.
The incident occurred at around 3 PM April 27 near the Bhatra Kallurti temple in Kudupu village on the outskirts of Mangaluru, police said.
The victim, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, was allegedly assaulted with sticks, resulting in multiple injuries that led to internal bleeding and shock.
He was declared dead at the hospital, police said.
Addressing a press conference here, Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal said, “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 April 28 confirmed that the death was due to multiple blunt force injuries and lack of medical attention.”
A case has been registered under Section 103(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which pertains to murder by a group of five or more persons, at the Mangaluru Rural Police Station, based on a complaint lodged by a resident, he said.
So far, 15 accused have been arrested, and the police are on the lookout for at least 10 more individuals, he added.
“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.
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.
Speaking to reporters here, Home Minister Parameshwara said, “An incident of mob lynching has been reported but the (victim’s) name is not known at this point of time, and also his identity is not known…whether he has come from outside the state or within the state. I was told that this individual was reportedly shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and things like that when there was a local cricket match going on. When they heard this, a few people got together and beat him. Subsequently, he didn’t die on the spot but they said later on he died because of the shock and so on.”
Appealing for peace and harmony, the Minister said, “I am yet to get the actual report, and nearly 10 or 12 people have been arrested, and further investigation is going on. We will definitely take this very seriously because this kind of things should not happen anywhere, not only in Karnataka but anywhere.”
” Karnataka is such a peaceful state and we don’t want to allow these kinds of things. And suppose if he (victim) had spoken something like ‘Pakistan Zindabad’, they could have handed him over to police instead of they taking the law and order in their hands,” he added.
Taking to ‘X’, Dakshina Kannada District In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao condemned the murder and directed the police to take strict action against the culprits.
“While playing cricket, a verbal altercation broke out between a group of players and a young man from another community, resulting in the assault,” he said.
According to him, several suspects have already been taken into custody, and a proper investigation is underway.
Noting that such incidents disrupt communal harmony, Rao said, “I have instructed the police to take strict action against the culprits. I appeal to the public to maintain peace and communal harmony and not fall prey to rumours.”
