In another case of lynching, mentally challenged youth thrashed to death

In another incident of public lynching, a 22-year-old mentally challenged youth was killed, giving nightmares to the police administration on how to check such incidents. It may be mentioned that a series of incidents of public lynching on mere suspicion of theft were reported across the state in last few months. 

Repeated incidents have roused the attention of the top police administration at the state on how to prevent growing number of public lynching that has so far resulted in deaths of many people, mostly youth.

The most recent of them happened at Kolaghat late Wednesday night when a 22-year-old mentally challenged youth was beaten to death on mere suspicion of being a thief. Police have arrested six persons for their alleged involvement in this connection so far.

Police said that the victim Seikh Rijaul, a mentally challenged youth was roaming at Panishala area of 

Kolaghat on Wednesday night when the some local people caught him. Seeing him aimlessly walking here and there, they suspected him to be thief and started beating him up.

People continued to beat him till he lost consciousness. The local people did not realise that he was a mentally challenged youth. The residents of the area left him there on the street with his face profusely bleeding.

After being informed, the police reached the spot and took the victim to a nearby hospital where the doctors pronounced him brought dead. The victim was a resident of Chatinda area.

In a similar incident, an 18-year-old boy Anirudhha Biswas – an aspiring computer science engineer – was beaten to death on suspicion that he had stolen mangoes from a garden in the neighbourhood. The incident took place on Wednesday at Satyajit park area in Haridevpur.

In another previous incident around a month ago, an ITI student from Daimond Harbour in South 24-Parganas was lynched to death on suspicion of a buffalo thief. It may also be mentioned that a mentally challenged youth was beaten to death inside the campus of NRS Medical College and Hospital in November 2014 after he entered the hostel.

Some students suspected him to be a thief and lynched him. He lost his life inside the campus. Police later found that he was a mentally challenged youth. Psychologists in the city said that people are gradually becoming intolerant. Knowing full well that there is nobody to stand by their side, the people were attacking to vent their frustration.