Man Taking Unwell Nephew To Hospital Lynched By Mob In Uttar Pradesh Over Suspicion Of Child Lifting

After a brief lull, the rumours about child lifters are back and with deadly consequences.

Two people who were taking their nephew to a doctor became the latest victim of this rumor-mongering. In a tragic incident in Asalatpur Jarai village in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh, a 40-year-old man was killed and his brother was seriously injured after some villagers mistook them for child-lifers.

Raju and his brother Ram Avatar were on their way to a hospital with their nephew who was suffering from acute stomach ache on their bike. But as they were passing through Asalatpur Jarai village, the boy was crying due to pain. Hearing the cry, some villagers thought the duo were child-lifters and confronted them.

A mob said to be around 300 people began attacking them with sticks until they lost consciousness.

By the time police were alerted and they reached the spot it was too late. Raju passed away on the way to the hospital while his brother is in a critical condition.

Based on a complaint filed by the younger brother of the deceased, police registered an FIR under IPC sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 147, 148 (rioting) among others and arrested six people in connection with the murder.

Tuesday's incident was the latest in a string of mob attacks in UP in the past few days.

In fact just this week alone there were nearly 20 cases of mob attacks in UP triggered over child lifting rumors.

Most of these incidents were reported from Bareilly, Meerut and Agra zones.

Five women were thrashed by a mob while they were selling ropes suspecting them to be child-lifters in Shamli district. They were rescued by the police.

Similarly, in Bulandshahr, a mentally challenged man was beaten up by a mob on the same suspicion. In Hapur, a woman had to face the mob's wrath after being mistaken for a child lifter.

In Bareilly, on Monday, a mentally retarded man was punched, kicked and slapped for over an hour just because he had snatched a Rs 10 note from the hands of a child in the market place as he was hungry for days. Even the cops, who tried to intervene, were beaten up and chased away by the angry mob.

Additional forces had to be called in to control the situation and the victim has been hospitalized.

Earlier in Lakhimpur Kheri last week, three cops of Haryana police, in plain clothes, were suddenly surrounded by a mob as they were mistaken for being child-lifters. They were later rescued by the local police.

Senior police officials attribute these incidents to rumors being spread through social media.

With the situation getting out of control, the UP Police have swung into action and are telling people not to believe in rumors.

"People should not believe in the rumors of child lifting. We are keeping a close eye on the situation. So far, 68 people have been arrested in similar cases. If the people suspect anything, they should immediately call the police," Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Lucknow PV Ramasastry told ANI.

He also urged people not to take law in their own hands and said that the villagers in the district are being sensitized on the issue.

"We are also running an awareness campaign with the help of government officials and digital volunteers. We are reaching out to people in villages and on social media to urge them to not to take law in their hands. Mob lynching people is a serious crime and strict actions will be taken against people involved in such cases," he said.

"In the last few days, people have been beaten up on accusations of child lifting by mobs in some districts. We analysed the incidents, there is no issue of child lifting, these are rumours spread by anti-social elements," Ramasastry said.