(The Quint went to Dakshina Kannada district where three murders were committed over 10 days leading to communal tension and heavy police deployment in Karnataka's coastal region. This is the first article in a three-part series on the three young men who were killed.)
In the three murders that rocked the state of Karnataka over a span of 10 days, Mohammed B Masood, was the first to fall victim.
On 19 July 2022, on pretext of solving a trivial fight that Masood had with a group of Hindu men a day earlier, eight people attacked Masood, injuring him severely. Two days later, the 19-year-old succumbed to his injuries in a hospital in Mangaluru.
Grief Engulfs 19-Year-Old Murdered Masood's Family in Kalanja
When The Quint, reached Kalanja to speak to the family members of Masood, who was fatally assaulted by eight people, we saw his elder brother Mohammed Mirshad trying to convince his mother Saramma to have her meal.
Clad in a black long-cloth, Saramma sat there in silence refusing to have food after former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's visit.
"There are many leaders from the Opposition who are coming and visiting us. Each time someone visits, she is forced to recall the trauma. And she, withdraws herself, refusing to eat food," says her brother Shaukat Ali.
The young Masood was the second son, among the five children of Saramma. Following the death of her husband, the family kept shuttling between Dakshina Kannada and Kasargod to find work and earn a living.
Speaking to The Quint, Mohammed Mirshad, elder brother of Masood says:
"My brother was very innocent. He never was part of any organisation. All he wanted was to build a house and ensure that our younger siblings get good education. You see, we were forced to work from a young age due to economic compulsions. He didn't want that to happen to our younger brother and sister."Mohammed Mirshad, Masood's Elder Brother
The only two photographs that the family has of Masood, shown to The Quint by his elder brother Mohammed Mirshad.
(Photo: Ananth Shreyas)
Masood, who dropped out of school after Class VII, had taken to odd jobs to help the family. As he found no employment in Kasargod, he lived at his grandmother's house in Bellare and started working as a daily-wage labourer and painter. He along with his brother Mirshad earned around Rs 10,000 and helped the family get by.
This did not last long. The day before the fateful evening, Masood was heckled and attacked over a silly argument. His uncle Shaukat Ali tells The Quint, "He went out to get milk and apparently had a small fight as his shoulder touched another Hindu person named Sudhir. However, he rushed back home to avoid the fight."
The day following his altercation, Masood was called by his friend Ibrahim Shanif for a compromise meeting. Despite much reluctance, Masood went ahead for the meeting, which turned into eight people assaulting and injuring him grievously.
The family said that Shanif had promised to keep Masood safe and ensure that that no harm is done to him. However, on his arrival, the Hindu men thrashed him and friend, and also broke a soda bottle on Masood's head. He lay unconscious till 2 pm and succumbed to injuries two days later in private hospital in Mangaluru.
Rearing a Calf and Personal Enmity Could Be The Reason For Murder: Family
The 45-year old Saramma broke her silence after three hours of The Quint's visit to her ancestral home. Sitting on a porch, overlooking her lush green courtyard, she pointed out to the place where Masood was raising a calf.
"He really loved animals, particularly the calf he was taking care of," she said. "There were times when he forgot to eat, but never missed taking the calf for grazing. He used to tell me how the calf, after growing up, could give us good milk and that he planned on getting more cattle," she added.
His brother also told The Quint that there were instances where the murder accused had questioned Masood for owning a calf and stared at him when he took it out for grazing.
"But, nothing stopped him from loving the calf. It shocked us too, the calf died just a day after Masood passed away in the hospital," he said in disbelief.
The family also said that the police visited their house when the calf died to ensure that it was not actually slaughtered out of rage or pain due to the death of Masood.
Masood's maternal house in Dakshina Kannada's Kalanja village, where he stayed from the past two months, since his visit from Kasargod.
(Photo: Ananth Shreyas)
Meanwhile, his uncle Shaukat Ali said that fear has gripped the family entirely. The family who are in shock are dreading to step out. "We do not know what will happen to us. Out of fear, none of us have stepped outside of the house. The police have taken away our phones for investigation, and we have nobody who can help us," he added.
"All of us in this neighbourhood have lived peacefully. Most of us here are daily-wage labourers and families next door who wish to help are also not able to do so. We are running out of supplies and have no money with us to carry on with our lives."Shaukat Ali, Masood's Maternal Uncle
As of now, nobody from the government has visited Masood's family. While, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai visited Praveen's residence just a few kilometers away, he refrained from meeting with Masood's family. However, the CM has said that he would visit the families of Masood and another murdered youth Fazil, soon.
The distraught family says they share the pain of Praveen's parents and hope they can visit them someday to offer condolences.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)