Assam: 4 Lynchings in a Month; DGP Says Action to Be Taken Irrespective of 'Caste, Creed, Religion'
New Delhi: Four people have been lynched by mobs on the suspicion of theft in different parts of Assam in the last month. Two of these lynchings took place on Thursday (August 17), The Indian Express reported.
In Padmajhar village, Darrang district, 45-year-old Majibul Haque was killed after being suspected of stealing goats. Meanwhile in Tinipukhuri, Tamulpur district, 27-year-old Binod Brahma was lynched after being accused of stealing from someone's house, the newspaper reported.
Darrang police said they had arrested 14 people from Padmajhar and a neighbouring village in connection with Haque’s death, while Tamulur police said that they had arrested three people so far.
On August 12, Hifzur Rahman was lynched by a mob in Hojai district after being accused of cattle theft. The police on Thursday arrested eight people in connection with the case. The BJP MLA from the region, Shiladitya Dev, on Thursday met the families of the arrested men and claimed that Hindus in Bamungaon village (where the lynching occurred) were "living in fear.
On July 24, Saddam Hussain was lynched in Morigaon district after him and two others were beaten up by a mob that accused them of cattle theft. Five people have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Given the number of cases in a short span of time, Assam DGP G.P. Singh said that “lawful action has been taken” in all such cases reported so far, The Indian Express reported.
“I’ve instructed the SPs to take action per law in each such case irrespective of caste, creed, religion. For me, any violation of law is a matter of concern… I’ve given instructions on social media platforms as well so that the public has confidence that police leadership does not condone such activities and take lawful action in all such cases,” Singh told the newspaper.
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