4 min readGuwahatiAug 18, 2023 05:10 AM IST
First published on: Aug 17, 2023 at 07:28 PM IST
Two people were lynched in the early hours of Thursday in two separate incidents in Assam – the latest in a series of incidents where people have been killed on suspicion of theft.
In one incident, 45-year-old Majibul Haque, who was allegedly suspected of trying to steal goats, was killed in Padmajhar village in Darrang district. In the other, 27-year-old Binod Brahma was killed in his village Tinipukhuri in Tamulpur district, again on suspicion of trying to steal from a home in the village.
On Thursday afternoon, 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 apprehended three people and were trying to identify the main accused.
According to Darrang Superintendent of Police Prakash Sonowal, Haque was not a resident of the village where he was killed, and lived nearby in Naopota.
“The incident took place early in the morning, around 3:15 am. According to local inputs, he was trying to take the goats out from someone’s property when he was caught. He tried to flee but there was a ruckus and people gathered there,” he said. Haque succumbed to his injuries after police arrived at the spot and took him to a nearby hospital
On Brahma’s death, Tamulpur SP Pankaj Yadav said: “He allegedly entered a home with the intention of stealing. The family members of that household and neighbours gathered and assaulted him, and died on the spot. Through local enquiries we have found out that his wife works elsewhere, and he has a habit of wandering and picking things up from here and there.”
Both killings come days after an incident in Hojai district where Hifzur Rahman was lynched on alleged suspicion of cattle theft on August 12. Police on Thursday apprehended eight people in connection with the killing.
The two lynchings on Thursday also come a day after former BJP MLA from Hojai, Shiladitya Dev, visited Bamungaon village, where Rehman was killed, and met the families of the arrested men.
“Though this is a Hindu village, in four directions they are surrounded by Muslim villages and they are living here as a minority. They have been living in terror and filing cases for theft for many years, but since they are a minority here, even police neglect them,” he told the media after meeting the families.
On July 24, a man called Saddam Hussain was lynched in Morigaon district when a mob thrashed him and two others, allegedly suspecting them to be cattle smugglers. Following this, five people were arrested.
Amid this spate of lynchings, Assam DGP G P Singh said that “lawful action has been taken” in all such cases reported so far.
“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,” he told The Indian Express.
Amid this spate of lynchings, Assam DGP G P Singh said that “lawful action has been taken” in all such cases reported so far. (Representational File Photo) 
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