Wayanad/ Mangaluru: The Malayali Muslim man lynched by a mob in Mangaluru on April 27 -- a crime police registered as a hate attack -- had lived with mental illness for over 20 years, his family said. The victim eked out a living collecting scrap, lived on the streets and had no history of violence, said police.

The victim was identified late Tuesday night as Muhammed Ashraf (38) of Muchikkandan House in Vengara, Malappuram district. Four years ago, his elder brother Abdul Hameed and parents -- Muchikkadan Kunjeethukutty (Kunjayi) and Rukhiya -- moved to Sandeepani Kunnu in Pulpally panchayat, Wayanad district.

Ashraf last visited home for Eid on March 30, said his Ernakulam-based brother Abdul Jabbar, who travelled to Mangaluru to identify the body.

Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal said 20 people have been arrested and booked for hate crime and murder under Section 103(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — a provision introduced in 2023 by the BJP-led Union government to address mob lynching specifically. The section is invoked when a group of five or more commits murder on grounds of identity, including religion, caste, or language. The officer said this is the first time the provision has been invoked in Mangaluru.

Ashraf was attacked by more than 25 people on the sidelines of a cricket match on a ground near Bhatra Kallurti Temple in Kudupu, 10 km from the city, police said.

He was beaten with sticks, kicked, and punched, police said. The assault began around 3 pm; police found his body near the temple around 5.30 pm.

An autopsy at Wenlock District Hospital revealed that Ashraf died of "internal bleeding and shock resulting from multiple strong blows to the back" and lack of timely medical intervention, police said in a statement.

His family described a long, painful journey through mental illness. "He started showing symptoms in his late teens, speaking gibberish or wandering off during an episode," said Jabbar. But he never posed a threat to anyone, he said. "Occasionally, police would pick him up for sleeping at bus stands. We'd go and bring him home." He never made any threats to others or physically attacked anyone, said Jabbar.

Ashraf had been treated at multiple psychiatric centres, including Sacred Heart Hospital in Idukki district, Ansar Hospital in Thrissur district, the Government Mental Health Centre in Kozhikode district, and VRC Hospital at Vettom in Malappuram district, where he was under the care of Dr Haider Ali Kalliyath.

Local traders in Pulpally recalled Ashraf selling lottery tickets. When a spell overcame him, he would sometimes burst into loud shouting and run around, said a trader. "People would call us if he needed help. This was the first time people ganged up to attack him," Jabbar said.

The family was contacted by the Special Branch of the police in Kerala and Karnataka asking them to help identify the body. "At the morgue, we saw the injuries. So many. All over," Jabbar said.

After the death, several Delhi-based news channels ran reports claiming that Ashraf was lynched after he shouted 'Pakistan Zindabad' at the cricket ground. Police have dismissed the claim as fake.

Jabbar said the Pakistan slogan claim may have been fabricated "to rally communal support after the lynching".

When the family reached Mangaluru, he said, leaders of several political parties and local traders came forward to console them. "They said our brother was innocent and honest, and never created any issues with anyone," he said. Jabbar said. "He was never part of any organisation, ideology, or social group. It hurts that he died so violently," the brother said.

In Pulpally, the family led a secluded life, depending on the income Hameed earned from a small neighbourhood shop.

CPM Dakshina Kannada district secretary Muneer Katippalla, who has campaigned against hate crimes, alleged those arrested were linked to the BJP and Bajrang Dal. While police have not confirmed political affiliations, Katippalla said the attack happened at a ground locally called Hindu Maidan or Samrat Maidan, where Muslims usually avoided playing. He accused a former BJP councillor of instigating the assault. Police said the councillor is not yet an accused. The investigation was on to identify and arrest others involved in the mob attack, they said.

Ashraf’s body was brought to Vengara and laid to rest at Cholakkundu Juma Masjid at Changuvetty on the Kottakkal-Vengara Road.

The arrested
The 20 arrested in the hate crime are: Sachin T (26), an autorickshaw driver from Kudupu; Devadas (50); Dheekshith Kumar (32); Vivian Alvares (41); Manjunath (32); Nitesh Kumar (33), alias Santosh; Sridatta (32); Pradeep Kumar (35); Manish Shetty (21); Dhanush (31); Dheekshith (27); Kishore Kumar (37), all from Kudupu; Saideep (29) from Pedamale; Sandeep (23) from Vamanjoor; Rahul (23) from Bejai; Yathiraj from Kaikamba; Sachin from Vamanjur; Anil Poojary from Kulashekara Padavu; Sushanth Poojary and Adarsh, both from Kudupu.