Even after 33 cases of rumour mongering and posting objectionable contents on social media have been registered all over the State, a woman was lynched in Sahebgjanj on suspicion of her being a part of braid-chopper gang on Saturday. Chief Minister Raghubar Das calling the incident unfortunate announced on that the administration will take care of all her son’s education and other expenses.
The CM on Sunday also appealed to the people that they should not pay any heed to such rumours and never try to take law in their hands as stringent action will be taken if anyone found to be involved in such activities.
In a gruesome incident, a group of four beggars, including the woman and her 14 year-old son were attacked by a mob in Mirpur village under Radhanagar police station in Sahebganj on Saturday killing the women and critically injuring the other three persons in the group including her son. Hundreds of people from Mirpur and adjoining villages attacked by pelting stones and also hit them with bamboo sticks.
Police however suspect that people were taking advantage of the mass hysteria around braid chopping to cover the crimes committed by them as at least two incidents have been reported from the area, where a women was found to have killed her two children after chopping off the braid herself and projected the matter as paranormal activity, while another person chopped his wife’s hair after some personal dispute on the guise of the braid-chopper gang.
“People have now started using it as a guise of committing crimes and a lot of other angles, including the present one, are being given by the anti-social elements,” said IG (Operations) and Jharkhand Police Spokesperson Ashish Batra. Extortion was later found to be involved in the lynching which took place in Ramgarh, he added.
The IG further said that taking the issue seriously, the police have been monitoring the social media and extensive instructions have been given to the District Police on which have also been complied by them.
“A total of 33 cases for spreading rumours and communal feelings on the social media have been registered all over the State and 40 persons have also been arrested so far in this regard since January. More than 80 per cent of cases were of rumour mongering while 20 per cent were related to objectionable posts spreading anti-communal feelings,” said Batra.
A lot of steps like holding meetings at police station, block and village levels are being held along with making people aware through print and electronic media and through mass SMS’s to the mobile numbers registered on Kisan Portal and e-Panchayats, he added.
“It is not that only Police actions can prevent such acts. Cultural changes needs to be brought in with more education and development in the rural areas to eradicate social evils like witch-hunting etc,” said the IG.
Meanwhile, even after 24 hours of the incident, Police are yet to arrest the culprits involved in the lynching of the women on Saturday. It however claimed to have identified around 20 people who are being interrogated to get into the details of the incident.
“No arresting has been done in this regard, but investigations are on by indentifying at least 20 persons, who are being interrogated to get into the details of the matter,” said Sahebganj SP P Murugun. At least six police personnel got injured and some vehicles were also damaged after the Police came into heavy stone pelting as soon as it reached the spot to rescue the four from the mob,” he added.
“We had to resort to lathicharge and firing in the air to disperse the mob and rescue the four. All of them were rushed to hospital, but the woman succumbed to her injuries,” said the SP. He added that condition of the other three was out of danger. Meanwhile, security has been beefed in the area as a precautionary measure, he added.
Incidentally, rumour of women braid being mysteriously chopped off was rife in the Rajashthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and now in Jharkhand since June with several alleged incidents taking place during night when they were fast asleep.