Bengaluru: In another incident of anti-Muslim violence in India, Hindutva goons lynched a 36-year-old mentally unwell Muslim man in the southern state of Karnataka.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the deceased has been identified as Ashraf, a native of Kottakkal in Kerala’s Malappuram district. He was buried at the Cholakkundu mosque graveyard, where a large number of mourners, including family, friends, and local residents, gathered in grief and anger, demanding justice for what they described as a hate-fueled killing.
Ashraf, who made a living as a scrap collector in various towns, was assaulted after he drank from a water bottle placed near a group playing nearby. One of the accused objected, and the situation escalated when others joined in the assault.
Eyewitnesses said Ashraf was attacked with a cricket bat and other weapons. Despite the efforts of some bystanders to intervene, the mob,
affiliated with a local Hindutva group called Samrat Guys, continued the brutal assault until Ashraf collapsed.
The attackers fled, assuming him dead. Ashraf was later found near a local temple and rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Speaking to the media, Ashraf’s father, Muchikkadan Kunjeethukutty, said, “He never interfered in anyone’s affairs. He kept to himself and focused on his own work. Even in business, he maintained minimal interactions. No one has anything bad to say about him.”
Following the killing, the perpetrators attempted to justify their actions by falsely claiming that Ashraf had shouted “Pakistan Zindabad” during the match — a claim dismissed by those who knew him.
The lynching of Ashraf comes amid a surge in anti-Muslim sentiment across India, following the April 22 Pahalgam incident. In its aftermath, Kashmiri students are being assaulted on campuses, Muslim vendors being driven out of towns, and workers from the community being harassed and attacked.
The post Hindutva goons lynched mentally unwell Muslim man in Karnataka first appeared on Kashmir Media Service.
