Inspector Shivakumar K.R., Head Constable Chandra P., and Constable Yallalinga of the Mangaluru Rural Police Station have been suspended for alleged negligence in handling the April 27 mob lynching of Ashraf, a mentally unwell man from Kerala. The suspensions come amid mounting public outrage and accusations of a lax police response.
Ashraf was beaten to death by a mob during a cricket match in Kudupu, a suburb of Mangaluru. While 20 attackers have since been arrested, questions arose over how the case was initially handled.
Sources say that a man named Deepak had alerted the Rural Police Station during the assault. Though the information reached Inspector Shivakumar and his team, they reportedly failed to alert senior officials or act with urgency. Initially, the incident was downplayed and registered merely as an Unnatural Death Report (UDR), later reclassified as mob lynching after public pressure intensified.
The suspended officers are accused of not treating the situation with the seriousness it demanded, thereby potentially allowing crucial time to slip by without intervention. Their inaction, say officials, amounted to a serious breach of duty.
The Home Department has suspended the trio pending further inquiry. Officials stress that the action is based on preliminary evidence pointing to gross dereliction. A deeper investigation is underway to assess the full scope of misconduct.
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