Mangaluru Mob Lynching Victim Identified As Kerala Native Ashraf: All You Need To Know

Mangaluru, Karnataka: Police have identified the victim, who was mob lynched by a group of over 25 people during a local cricket match on April 27 in Mangaluru. The victim has been identified as Ashraf from Pulpalli village in Sultan Bathery Taluk of Wayanad district in Kerala.

According to Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal, the motive behind the brutal murder of the 36-year-old Muslim youth is yet to be revealed, and an investigation is going on regarding the matter.

Read Also: Youth Lynched To Death By Mob In Mangaluru; 19 Arrested

Ashraf, who had been working as a manual labourer in Mangaluru for past month, was found dead near Bhatra Kallurti Temple in Kudupu—around 10 km from the city center. The body has been handed over to the family. The final rituals of Ashraf will be held in Malappuram’s Parappur Masjid today, April 30.

The victim’s brother, Abdul-Jabbar, stated that Ashraf had a mild mental disability and was undergoing treatment for the same and added that he is not associated with any organisation.

It has been alleged that the deceased raised a pro-Pakistan slogan during the cricket match. Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said the victim had reportedly shouted ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ on the day he was lynched. However, police have not confirmed the allegations that the victim shot pro-Pakistan slogans.

The home minister has later clarified that it was not his statement that the victim uttered ‘Pakistan Zindabad’. “What I said was matters that the some of the accused told the police,” Parameshwara said.

According to local witnesses, the assault against the Muslim man started after he drank water from a group playing nearby, reports Maktoob Media 

It is reported that the attackers were workers belonging to right-wing groups RSS and Bajrang Dal.

According to the police, a scuffle broke out, which then escalated into a mob attack on the victim. The autopsy report confirmed that the victim lost his life due to internal injuries caused by multiple strong blows, compounded by shock and the lack of immediate medical care. The police, at first, registered a case of unnatural death under suspicious circumstances and then it was reclassified as mob lynching.

Read Also: “Killed For Being Muslim”: Youth Lynched In Uttar Pradesh Over Alleged Cow Slaughter

Police have told reporters that at least 25 people were involved, and 15 arrests have been made so far. The rest of the accused are still at large.

Congress leader V D Satheesan said that he is in contact with Karnataka government. The Kerala opposition leader assured that he would ensure the victim and his family get justice. Reacting to the mob lynching case, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah stated that the government would take strict action against the perpetrators and that none would be spared once the investigation is complete.

Ashraf’s father, Muchikkadan Kunjeethukutty has said that his son never interfered in anyone’s affairs. “Even in business, he maintained minimal interaction. No one has anything bad to say about him,” the father told Maktoob.

Several netizens have alleged that the man was killed for being a Muslim, and not for shouting pro-Pakistan slogans. Many doubt how a man could go to a place where a cricket match is occurring and then shout pro-Pakistan slogans.

Taking to social media platform X, founder and editor of Maktood Media, Aslah Kayyalakkath, wrote, “Hindutva mob’s claim that he shouted “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans is merely a false allegation by Hindutva groups to gain support from Hindu nationalists.” The journalist noted that Ashraf was killed because of his Muslim identity.

Ashraf, the Malyalai Muslim youth who was killed by Hindutva mob in Mangaluru was a mentally unstable man.

The Hindutva mob’s claim that he shouted “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans is merely a false allegation by Hindutva groups to gain support from Hindu nationalists.

He was… pic.twitter.com/B0GVksmyKK

— Aslah Kayyalakkath (@aslahtweets) April 30, 2025

Another commentator, Mohd Shadab Khan, claimed Ashraf said “nothing of that sort,” underlining that a hate-filled rumor was enough for a frenzied crowd of over 25 men to beat the victim with sticks, kick him, and leave him to die.

MOB LYNCHING IN MANGALURU🚨

Muslim Youth Killed Over False ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ Claim, 15 Arrested, 10+ Still at Large

In a chilling case of mob violence, “Ashraf”, a young Muslim man from Pulpally, Wayanad (Kerala), was brutally lynched in Mangaluru, Karnataka after being… pic.twitter.com/hNEsU5PvJZ

— Mohd Shadab Khan (@VoxShadabKhan) April 29, 2025