Mob allegedly tries to lynch youth on suspicion of banned meat smuggling, attack police personnel
Giridih police has arrested four persons on charges of inciting violence and attacking police personnel on duty. Five police personnel, including a police inspector, were injured when a group of locals attacked a police team which had gone to Mungiatongri village to rescue a youth from furious mob at Bagodar area of Giridih district—180 km north east of State Capital.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon when some locals spotted a container carrying animal carcass. The villagers suspecting the carcass of prohibited meat, stopped the vehicle and thrashed the helper of vehicle, Mohammed Qadir, however, the driver of container managed to escape. Qadir was rescued by an alert Bagodar police, but the frenzied locals threw stones at the officials, indulged in the arson and attacked them, leaving five cops injured.
Bagodar Sub Divisional Officer, Ram Kumar Mandal said, “The container, bearing registration number of Uttar Pradesh, was on its way from Kolkata to Uttar Pradesh. Some youths suspecting the vehicle carrying prohibited meat stopped the vehicle and trashed the helper.”
Soon large number of youths assembled at the spot and tried to lynch Mohammed Qadir, but the police reached on the spot and rescued the helper.
Bagodar police station, officer in-charge Navin Kumar Singh said, “Two FIRs have been lodged in this connection, first for inciting violence/ spreading hatred in society and second FIR for stopping Government employees from discharging duties.”
The arrested persons have identified as Jitendra Kumar Mahto, a resident of Hesla, Jitendra Mahto, a resident of Aaura, Ganesh Mahto, a resident of Gamhariatand and Jitendra Sao, a resident of Bagodar.
The arrested persons have been booked under section 307 (attempt to murder), 153 ‘A’ (promoting disharmony, enmity or hatred on ground of religion), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and other sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC). The arrested persons have also been booked under section 353 of IPC which deals with obstructing a Government employee from discharging duties.
The Bagodar incident occurred on the heels of Tabrez Ansari, a 23-year old youth lynched by mob and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Jai Hanuman’ last month at Saraikela.
The State Government, after Tarbez Ansari case, had directed police stations to create an awareness drive on mob lynching incidents. The Ranchi district administration, on Sunday, organised two public police meet asking citizens not to take law into their hands and inform cops about hate messages and those spreading them.
BJP working president JP Nadda on a visit to State Capital on Sunday too has condemned mob lynching incident.
On rising incidents of mob lynching, the saffron party chief said, “No one has the right to take law into his hands. The BJP believes in the politics of sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas.”
Condemning the incident, Human right activist Siraj Dutta said, “Such mob lynching incidents have gone up in State in last four years. This is serious issue and the Government should take strict action to curb such incidents.”