A man was lynched by a mob, in Tripura on Thursday. A hawker, he was suspected of being a child lifter along with two men. The people of the town were told about the rumors, and beat the men. Jahir Khan was so brutally assaulted by the mob that he died on the spot, while the two others were able to survive, but are now in critical condition and being treated for their injuries. There is no clarity on the matter of how the residents of Murabari in West Tripura, were informed and if they were given any proof about the identities of the men.
The mob gathered on roads as they were told about the men, and without any confirmation, they proceeded through the roads and decided to collectively mete out the punishment by physical assault. The men were chased to the Tripura State Rifles camp, and the security tried to scare away the crowd by firing two shots in the air and with the use of four tear gas shells, but the mob remained unfettered by it. They entered the camp and started beating the three men mercilessly.
There was also the a threat of rumors being spread through the use of Whatsapp and internet messaging. The lynching has angered the social media, and people are now raising their voice against atrocity committed by the people even without any evidence that the men really were child lifters. The incident has also shown that mob lynchings can’t be controlled if a large part of the crowd is bent on attacking the people. There is also not much sense to mobs because people can’t be reasoned with. The authorities must stop when such incidents happen, and make stricter rules for those who try to spread fake news to hurt other people.
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