Kerala Temple Mourns The Muslim Man Whose Lynching Was Filmed

The on-camera lynching of a young Muslim man in Kerala made national headlines earlier this week. A temple in his hometown has found a different way to remember him - it cancelled its pujas or prayer ceremonies for two days in memory of MV Shabeer.

The video of four men beating him with sticks on Sunday near the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram was reported on national channels. The police described it as gang warfare at the time. Mr Shabeer, in his early 20s, was rushed to hospital by passersby; he died there of his injuries. The video of his vicious assault was filmed by a man who reportedly said he did not feel safe trying to help Mr Shabeer and decided instead to record the evidence.

It turns out Mr Shabeer was a regular contributor in organizing an annual prayer festival at a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. "On Monday and Tuesday, the Shiva temple's office-bearers decided not to blow the conch or ring the bell as a mark of respect for Shabeer. The temple, which holds five pujas a day, did not offer them on those two days after the morning 'darshan''', reports The Indian Express.

The men who assaulted him have been arrested.