Man lynched in Arunachal as mob outnumbers police, cops say ‘sensitive matter’ to justify no arrests

Arunachal IGP (Law & Order) Chukhu Apa said that the police were moving with caution on the case, saying that “it is a sensitive matter”.

“As of now, there are no arrests. We are examining video footage and collecting evidence. After we are done, we will definitely take action and make arrests. We need some time since this is a sensitive matter in which so many minor children are affected,” he said.

IGP Apa said that the deceased worked as a labourer in the premises of a residential school.

“Over a period of time, he had systematically been sexually assaulting minor girls in the school. Based on information they had received, a group of parents arrived at the school on July 10 and began questioning who were there. There was a big commotion but the police intervened and the situation was brought under control. However, the main accused had run away,” said Apa. That night, an FIR had been registered in Roing police station against the deceased under the POCSO Act and sections of the BNS pertaining to rape and sexual harassment.

Apa said that while police launched a manhunt for Karim, a group of locals, including parents, also began looking for him. A “significant number” of girls aged between ages 6 and 9 had allegedly been sexually assaulted in the school hostel and had undergone medical examinations, he said.

“They found him in the suburbs of Roing town the next morning, and began assaulting him. When police received information, they rushed there, rescued him and took him for emergency care to a district hospital. But the mob followed them there, so he was then taken to Roing police station, but they followed there too. As word spread, more and more people joined in, and it was a crowd of over 200-300 people who overpowered the police and dragged him out of the police station to assault him. Police were outnumbered and did not have enough time to act because everything happened very quickly,” Apa said.

He said Karim succumbed to his injuries in the district hospital, where he was taken again for medical treatment in the afternoon after this incident. The same day, the Lower Dibang Valley district administration also issued an order to close down the school indefinitely, citing “untoward incident of molestation of minor girls in girls’ hostel”. The district authorities have advised parents to withdraw their children from the school and send them to the nearby ones.