Youth thrashed to death in W Midnapore

A 25-year-old youth was beaten to death on mere suspicion that he had stolen cigarettes from a shop at Kesia village near Garbeta in West Midnapore.

The victim Sujit Dey was beaten up on Saturday night and his body was found from behind a cold storage early Sunday morning.

Police said that the youth was a resident of the village adjacent to Kesia. On Saturday night some local people caught him when he was waiting near a shop for one of his friends.

They caught him after the shopkeeper shouted that a youth fled after stealing cigarettes from his shop.

Everyone thought that he had stolen the cigarettes and started beating him up with bamboo sticks. They didn’t listen to him despite him saying repeatedly that he was innocent.

They continued beating him up till he fell unconscious. They left him beside the road with severe injuries all over his body. No one of the village was allowed to give him water when he was 

writhing in pain.

Police suspect that the accused had removed the body Saturday night itself as the victim’s family members could find it out when they went to Kesia village late Saturday night.

On Sunday morning some people from the victim’s village saw the body behind a cold storage when they were going to work in their field. They informed the victim’s family members. The police went to the spot and sent the body for an autopsy.

His family members alleged that the accused had forced him to eat poison and killed him on mere suspicion.

Police initiated a probe into the incident, but yet to arrested anyone in this connection. The victim’s neighbours demanded immediate arrest of the accused.

It may be mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had criticised the incidents of lynching on mere suspicion of stealing something.

An ITI student was beaten to death on mere suspicion that he had stolen a buffalo in South 24-Parganas. Another Higher Secondary pass out had same fate on suspicion that he had stolen mangoes from the garden of a neighbour.