Dindori (MP): In yet another incident of lynching, a mentally disabled man was allegedly killed by villagers suspecting him of being a child-lifter in this district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place at Singwar, 40 km from the district headquarters, on July 28. The area is predominantly tribal.

On August 1, police learnt that a body was found floating in a well in the village, said superintendent of police K. Karthikeyan.

The deceased was identified as Mukesh Gond, 27, the resident of Anuppur district, the SP told PTI.

The probe revealed that four villagers -- Jagdish, Chetram, Sanjay and Gangaram -- were drinking on the night of July 28 when they saw Gond wandering aimlessly.

When they called out to him, he hid in a school. The four dragged him out and asked him who he was and where he was from.

Gond, who was apparently mentally-challenged, could only tell that he was from Annupur. The accused allegedly started beating him, calling him "bachcha chor" (child-lifter).

More people gathered and he was beaten with sticks mercilessly, Karthikeyan said.

The accused then allegedly tied his hands and feet and threw him into a well. To drown the body, they also tied a stone to it, he said.

Police have arrested ten persons in the case, including Jagdish and his companions.

Earlier, a mentally-ill woman was lynched on suspicion of being a child-lifter in Singrauli district of the state on July 19.

With a spate of such incidents across the country, the Supreme Court last month had asked the Centre to frame a special law to tackle the killings.

(PTI)

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