Praveen Poojari died in Udupi in Karnataka after being thrashed allegedly by cow vigilantes.
Praveen Poojari, 29, had never fought with anybody or even raised his voice in public, at his tiny village in Karnataka's Udupi district.
The BJP worker died on Wednesday night after being thrashed mercilessly by cow vigilantes - all men who had reportedly had meals at his home and visited his chicken shop.
Praveen was beaten with rods fashioned out of grills and sharpened pieces of iron, say his friends.
The apparent provocation was that he had hired out his tempo or three-wheeler truck to transport three calves for a client.
Before assaulting him, the group asked Praveen whether he intended to slaughter the animals.
18 men, all members of a right-wing group named the Hindu Jagarana Vedike, have been arrested.
At his village, a beautiful one-hour drive from Udupi through green, fertile land, his parents looked shell-shocked as they sat on the verandah to speak to NDTV.
"These were people known to us. Why did they do this to my son? They must suffer the same way for what they did," sobbed Baby Poojari, mourning the son who was her oldest and most gentle.
Baby Poojari, the mother of Praveen Poojari who was kiiled by cow vigilantes in Karnataka's Udupi.
Relatives and neighbours find it hard to accept that the alleged killers were people the family had known for years.
Praveen's father Vasu said his son "left at 8.30 pm for some work" at his shop. "At 10.30 they brought him...the police came too, but he died in hospital."
Praveen's classmate Santhosh Shetty said he had never once seen his friend lose his temper, no matter the provocation.
"They were Praveen's customers in his shop. Young boys in nearby villages have been indoctrinated and armed with weapons - we have never seen such conflict before," said Mr Shetty.
Panchayat member Geetha added: "He was never argumentative, never aggressive. We cannot believe that this has happened to him."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently delivered a hard-hitting message against attacks by cow protection or "Gau Rakshak" squads, warning that most of them are criminals at night. He also ordered states to check such groups.