Youth ‘mob-lynched’ in Bhangar

Kolkata: A youth was lynched allegedly on suspicion of being a thief in Bhangar of South 24-Parganas early on Sunday morning near Bhangar Police Station.

The youth, Azgar Ali Molla (36) was a resident of Fulbari area of Bhangar. Sources said for the past few months there were several incidents of theft in and around the Bhangar Bazar area. To ensure safety, night guards were deployed. Despite that, the incidents of theft did not stop. Early on Sunday morning, around 4:30 am, night guards on duty reportedly spotted Molla and detained him on suspicion of being a thief. Molla, who was reportedly involved in decorators business, was allegedly tied to a lamppost and assaulted by a group of people. When Molla became unconscious he was untied and left on the ground.

Local residents in the morning saw Molla lying unconscious and tried to provide first aid but by that time he had died. Controversy cropped up about the alleged inaction by the police as the place of the incident is within one kilometre distance from the police station. Despite being such a short distance cops failed to reach the spot even after the youth was left there unconscious. Police reached the spot later and started a probe. The body was recovered and sent for autopsy.

For past few months there were several cases of mob assault and lynching reported across the state, including a few in Kolkata and its suburbs. In the city, a youth was dragged inside Udayan hostel in Bowbazar area and lynched by a group of students on suspicion of being a mobile phone thief. Police arrested 14 persons and are probing the case. The deceased Irshad Alam was allegedly dragged inside the hostel by the students on suspicion of being a thief as a day before the incident, a mobile phone was stolen from the hostel.

During the probe, cops found that the CCTV footage was deleted partially. After the autopsy of Irshad’s body, the concerned surgeon opined that the cause of death is suspected to be a hypovolemic shock which means a condition in which severe blood or other fluid loss makes the heart unable to pump