Man beaten to death for saying ‘Pakistan Zindabad’

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.

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.

He said the individual reportedly shouted 'Pakistan Zindabad' when there was a local cricket match going on.

The incident occurred at around 3 PM on 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 on 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.