The Karnataka Police has suspended three police officers, including an Inspector, on charges of negligence in connection with an incident of mob lynching in the state.

The department has suspended Shivakumar, the Inspector attached to the Mangaluru Rural police station, Head Constable P Chandra and Constable Yallalinga. Muslim organisations and Left parties have alleged that the cops attempted to hush up the lynching. Minister for Health, Dinesh Gundu Rao, who is also District Incharge Minister, had also written a letter to Home Minister G Parameshwara demanding the suspension of Inspector Shivakumar.

The letter alleged that Shivakumar had registered a case of unnatural death initially, and later, when the issue turned into a controversy, he had lodged a murder case. 

On April 27, a Malayali Muslim man was beaten to death on the sidelines of a cricket match. The victim was identified late Tuesday night, Muhammad Ashraf (38), by his brother Abdul Hameed and parents from Wayanad. 

Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal said 20 people have been arrested and booked for hate crime and murder under section 103(2) of BNS.
(With inputs from IANS)