Assam: 1 killed, 3 injured in mob attack on suspicion of being ‘cow thieves’ in Sootea

GUWAHATI | August 16, 2018:

In yet another case of mob lynching, four people were attack by a mob, one person was killed and three others seriously injured over suspicions of being were cow thieves in Biswanath district of upper Assam, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place at Diplunga tea estate, nearly 230km from the state capital in the wee hours of Wednesday, said police.

For More Assam News Click Here

A police official from Sootea police station on the condition of anonymity said, "Four persons from Sootea were travelling in a tempo van when they were attacked by a mob at 4:00am. Locals allege the victims had stolen cows".

Two stolen cows were recovered from the van. While the driver of the vehicle escaped from the scene, a mob of nearly 20 people attacked the four men with sticks and clubs, police.

"We were on our way to buy pigs from Diplunga tea estate early on Wednesday morning when a mob armed with sticks, iron rods etc. stopped us and started attacking, accusing us of being cow thieves," one of the injured victims told local television channels.

The police, however, maintain that the victims had stolen cows and were transporting them.

"A case of cow theft has been registered. We have no information about the victims going to buy pigs. Since they are injured we are yet to record their statements," said the official.

The injured victims were taken to a private nursing home in Biswanath Chariali town where one of them, Deben Rajbongshi, died. The other three, Phoolchand Sahu, Bijoy Nayak and Pujen Rajbongshi, who sustained injuries on their heads, legs and arms, are undergoing treatment.

All the victims belong to the 'adivasi' community who are mainly employed in the tea gardens of the area.

"We have launched an operation against those responsible for the attack on the victims. No one has been arrested yet," Biswanath superintendent of police Diganta Kumar Chowdhury said.

Wednesday's incident comes two months after two men from Guwahati were lynched by a mob in Karbi Anglong district on suspicion of being child lifters. Following the incident, both the police and state administration had launched a campaign against fake news and had urged people not to take law into their own hands. But incidents of moral policing and mob justice haven't stopped.

Source: The Hindustan Times