Mangaluru: The Mangaluru Rural Police have arrested 15 individuals in connection with the alleged mob lynching of an unidentified man near Bhatra Kallurti Temple in Kudupu on April 27. The case, which initially began as an investigation into an unnatural death, has now developed into a murder probe involving charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Based on a complaint filed by Deepak Kumar (33), a resident of Kulasekhara, Mangaluru, police registered Crime No. 37/2025 at the Mangaluru Rural Police Station against 19 named individuals. Sections invoked include 103(2), 115(2), 189(2), 190, 191(1), 191(3), and 240 of the BNS, 2023. Investigators suspect the involvement of over 25 persons in total, and efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining accused.

The arrests follow intensive investigation, including the collection of CCTV footage from the vicinity, analysis of mobile tower data, and witness interrogation. The deceased, whose identity is yet to be confirmed, was found near the temple premises around 5:30 PM on April 27. Initial observations revealed no major external injuries, prompting authorities to seek a post-mortem examination at Wenlock District Hospital.

The preliminary autopsy report submitted on April 28 cited internal bleeding and shock due to multiple blows to the back as the cause of death. Lack of timely medical intervention was also noted as a contributing factor.

Police have established that the man was brutally assaulted around 3:00 PM during a cricket match near the temple grounds. He was allegedly attacked with sticks, fists, and kicks by a group of individuals. Despite attempts by bystanders to intervene, the assault continued until the victim collapsed.

The arrested individuals are as follows:

Sachin T (26), son of Late Taranath, Nadumane House, Thiruvail Village

Devadas (50), son of Late Lingappa Poojary, Nadumane, Thiruvail Village

Manjunath (32), son of Mallikarjun, Mangala Nagar

Saideep (29), son of Harish, Subramanya Nagar, Neermarga

Nitesh Kumar @ Santosh (33), son of Late Vishwanath, Mangala Nagar

Dheekshith Kumar (32), son of Vishwanath, Kudupu Katte

Sandeep (23), son of Basavarajappa Haveri, Vamanjoor

Vivian Alvares (41), son of Vijay Alvares, Protasaf Colony

Sridatta (32), son of Late Ananth, Kudupukatte

Rahul (23), son of Ramesh, Bejai

Pradeep Kumar (35), son of Mohan Das, Jyothi Nagar

Manish Shetty (21), son of Satish Shetty, Padavu Village

Dhanush (31), son of Late Sadashiva, Kudupukatte

Dheekshith (27), son of Devappa, Kulasekhara

Kishore Kumar (37), son of Subrahmanya Acharya, Kudupu

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New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".

Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".

In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."

"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."

"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.

The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.

According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.

The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.

New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.

Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.

The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.

In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".

"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.