I am processing the news of the lynching and murder of a Hindu man named Suhas Shetty that happened last night (01 May 2025) at Mangalore. I do not want to talk about the political nuances of this case because it is an endless saga of communalism in this area and there are a number of factors keeping the malicious forces in action. A whole other discussion.
On the level of basic, fundamental humanity, I am traumatized to be hearing and learning the details of this murder case. It is a communal issue where seven people chased and hacked Suhas Shetty to death – in a public space where NO ONE came to Suhas’s rescue but a number of people came to support the murderers, once the deed was done. People helped them regroup and escape after the crime was committed and there are video evidences of that. It all happened as if it was a movie. Suhas is seen lying almost lifeless – not dead – as the miscreants escaped in a car and drawing his last breaths WHILE PEOPLE STOOD THERE AND WATCHED.
I cannot comprehend this, let alone accept. How are human beings capable of this level of barbarism and apathy? The most un-Godly deeds are done in the name of God, where did we go so terribly wrong? How are Suhas’s family and friends expected to digest this? How will they bear the sight of this chopped body brought home, possibly mummified completely because of the state of the body, and bid him farewell with any smidgen of mental sanity?
The ones who helped the criminals escape the venue – and the ones who stood witness to the whole incident – what breed of inhuman could they be? I cannot process this. How is the political angle sufficient to make anyone forgo the most basic humanity, I’ll never understand. Suhas Shetty died the worst possible death, and I truly hope he finds some solace wherever he went now. No one deserves a death like his. After the Pahalgam incident, this murder case is a blow that none of us can deal with. We’re all walking around in a state of shock today. As I try my best to process this, along with some like-minded friends around, the only thing I can do is pray and pray that basic humanity finds its way back to the world.
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