Mob beatings continue

At least 13 victims of mob attacks survived in Chattogram, Rajshahi and Bogura Monday as the merciless mob beatings became viral across the country dubbing the innocent targets child lifters.

With rumours spreading in early July that kidnappers are out to lift and sacrifice children to dedicate their severed heads on the piers of the Padma Bridge a phobia gripped section of people that children need to be protected from the dreaded lifters.

Whenever suspicion occurs rumour is spread dubbing innocent passers-by as child lifters and mob beating follows.  

The government appealed to people to ignore such rumours and not to take the law in their hands.

At least five victims of mob beatings died and dozens of others narrowly escaped deaths across the country in last four days.

It in this backdrop that the police headquarters on Monday directed all the superintendents of police and the unit chiefs to prevent mob beating.

The notice signed by assistant inspector general (operations) Sayeed Tariqul Hasan requested them to strengthen vigilance over educational institutions hold awareness campaigns in them.

The PHQ also asked the SPs sensitize the people not to take the law in their hands and to hand over suspects to police by spreading the message over the public address system and extensively distributing leaflets.

The police were asked to monitor the slum areas in towns and cities and engage Imams of mosques and elected public representatives and the local elite to raise public awareness against mob violence.

The PHQ also directed its unit chiefs and the SPs to publish notices in newspapers and air them on TV channels to create public awareness against mob violence.

They were also asked to monitor and prevent the social media from spreading rumours.

The PHQ asked all unit chiefs and the SPs to submit reports in three days explaining steps they had taken to prevent mob violence.

New Age Bogura correspondent reported that four victims were seriously injured in mob beat near Durgahata Bazaar, Gabtali, on suspicion that they were child lifters.

The mob burnt down the victim’s pick-up van and later the mob clashed with the police force several times demanding that the victims be left to them.

New Age correspondent in Chattogram reported that four people were injured in mob violence on suspicion that they were  child lifters at  Miazir Bazar and Baharchora, Banskhali,  Chattogram on Monday.

The injured at Miajir Bazar are Hridoy, 18, of Bornia, Patiya, Md Joni, 28, of Shakpura, Boalkhali, Md Sohel, 25, of Bornia, Patiya.

At about 11:30am, locals began to interrogate the three victims and beat them up mercilessly at Miazir Bazar on suspicion that they were child lifters.

The police rushed and rescued the victims from the spot, Banskhali police station officer-in-charge Md Rezaul Karim told New Age.

Seriously injured Jony said that they went to Miazir Bazar to buy sacrificial goat for Korbani Eid and suddenly few locals began to beat them dubbing them as child lifters.

At about 12:00pm, Shanto Biswas, 32, of Kaliaish union of Satkania upazila was injured at Banigram, Banskhali in mob-beating on suspicion that he was a child lifter, OC Rezaul said.

New Age correspondent in Rajshahi reported that five victims, Hafizur Rahman, Abul Hossian and Rezaul Karim of Moksudpur upazila in Gopalgonj district and Kaium Ali and Abul Kalam of Lalbagh in the capital, were injured in mob beating  at Charghat, Rajshahi on Monday on the same suspicion.

Charghat Police Station officer-in-charge Nazrul Islam told New Age that the five of them went to the area on Monday noon in search of a house on rent for an NGO namely Aad Din Welfare Society.

New Age Dhaka Court correspondent reported that Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Dhiman Chandra Mondal placed three youths - Bachchu, Bappi and Shahin – arrested in the case of Saturday’s lynching a woman at Badda in Dhaka on suspicion of child lifter on a four-day remand.

Another accused, Jafor gave confessional statement in the case to the court, sources in the court said.

Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, told reporters at his ministry office that he had talked to the home minister who told him that the home ministry had taken strict steps to stop such incidentds.

‘All will face equal steps from the government,’ he said, responding to a question whether action would be taken against his party leaders and activists involved in such incidents.

Law minister Anisul Huq, addressing a function to inaugurate newly-constructed five-storied district bar council building in Netrakona in the afternoon, said the recent trends of violent crimes were not mere accidents rather they were calculated conspiracies hatched by BNP and Jamaat.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net