During a press conference, the minister confirmed the incident, saying, “A mob lynching was reported, however, the identity of the victim could not be ascertained. He was rooting for Pakistan during a local cricket match while shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’,” he said.

According to the Press Trust of India, the minister said that it was not yet known whether the victim was from Karnataka or came from elsewhere, adding that as soon as people in the crowd saw him rooting for Pakistan during the match, a few of them gathered and started assaulting him.

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The interior minister said, “He didn’t die on the spot, he died [later] because of the shock”, adding that nearly 10 to 12 people had been arrested and further investigation was underway.

He said, “We will definitely take this very seriously because such incidents should never occur anywhere.”

If the victim had chanted pro-Pakistan slogans, people should have handed him over to the police rather than taking the law into their own hands, the minister said.

Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal said that it was a “brutal and unprecedented attack”, according to India Today.

The commissioner said, “We’ve never seen such a case in Mangaluru before. The injuries were extensive, and there was no timely medical aid. That led to his death.”