Kolkata: Four youths were beaten up by locals on suspicions of being child lifters in the Dhupguri area of West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district on Tuesday night.
The victims were found to be local youths who had migrated to Kerala for work and were returning home when they were intercepted and roughed up. This is the second such incident in two days and the third case of mob violence inside a week in this area.
Tuesday’s incident took place around midnight when the youths disembarked from train at Dhupguri railway station and hired a car to reach Mukuldanga village, their native home.
Speaking to News18 state forest minister Binay Krishna Barman and Cooch Behar MLA, Binay Krishna Barman, said, “All of them went to Kerala to work as labourers. Yesterday, they returned in a train and were beaten up when they were close to their village in Dhupguri.”
Barman said there is a panic among the people over rumours of child lifting. “They had a verbal altercation with villagers after they were stopped. The youths were beaten up and were taken to a nearby hospital by the police. All are safe now,” he added.
Asked what the district administration did to curb this disturbing trend, he said, “Mass awareness is required and we have already told the local administration to stay alert. Stern stern action should be taken against those who are spreading such rumours.”
On 23 July, four women were assaulted by a mob at Godang in Jalpaiguri district on suspicion of being child lifters. Earlier on July 17, a mentally challenged woman in Dhupguri’s Baroghoria village was beaten up by a mob.
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