The postmortem of a mentally challenged man from Kerala who was allegedly brutally murdered by members of the Hindu rightwing, April, in Mangaluru has revealed that he suffered 35 external injuries.

It is to be noted that the man was beaten to death for allegedly raising “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans. While the police claim that it was an unnatural death due to falling under the influence of alcohol, the autopsy proves otherwise.

Completed on July 15, the report reveals that the man identified as Ashraf suffered external injuries and his death was a “cumulative effect” of those wounds. As per the report which initiated on April 28, Ashraf suffered abrasions, contusions, lacerations, and tramline contusions from cylindrical objects like sticks.

“All injuries are fresh and antemortem in nature, sustained due to blunt force impact,” the postmortem report revealed. Some of the injuries include  a cluster of bruises on his upper left back, ranging from “5cm x 3cm to 1cm x 1cm,” swelling and bruises around his eyes, a cut below his right eye, and tramline contusions on his buttocks and thighs. Internal bleeding and shock, triggered by deep injuries to his head, limbs, back, buttocks, and genitals from wooden logs, were decisive in his death.

According to Maktoob Media, forensic expert Dr K S Rashmi, who prepared the postmortem report, confirmed the use of sharp objects to assault the man. “The pattern of injuries described in the post-mortem report could be caused by the articles like the one examined,” Rashmi was quoted as saying by the publication.

Ashraf, a scrap collector from Kerala living in Pulpally, Wayanad, was attacked during a cricket tournament in Kudupu. The attack was led by Ravindra Nayak, husband of BJP corporator Sangeetha Nayak, and involving a Hindutva group called “Samrat Guys.”

They thrashed the man with a cricket bat and other objects until he collapsed. Ashraf was declared dead at a hospital; and the police reportedly registered a case of unnatural death claiming that Ashraf fell while being under the influence of alcohol.

To justify the lynching, the accused alleged weaved a false narrative that the mentally challenged man raised “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans. The myth was busted by a fact-finding report titled “Lost Fraternity: A Mob Lynching in Broad Daylight” prepared by a group of organisations that condemned the incident and criticised authorities for apathy.