‘I begged them to stop’ – how rumours of bachha chor and mobile chor led to a wave of mob lynchings in Bengal | Kolkata News

Bhagabati Mondal, 75, from Bidhannagar, recounts how she pleaded to save her grandson Prasen, who was allegedly lynched on suspicion of being a thief. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

Prasen is one of the victims of a series of lynchings in Bengal recently. Four people have been killed and ten injured in 13 such incidents in the state in a fortnight since June 19.

All the attacks are said to have taken place after rumours circulated of a possible child abduction (bachha chor) or, as in Prasen’s case, a phone theft (mobile chor).

It is significant that alleged videos of some of these incidents are circulating on social media, although The Indian Express could not independently verify them.

More than 50 people have been arrested and the Mamata Banerjee government has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakhs for the families of those lynched.

Awareness campaigns have also been launched to prevent such incidents from recurring. As part of this, law enforcement agencies are launching social media campaigns and distributing pamphlets in districts like North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Purba Bardhaman and Paschim Medinipur.

“Awareness campaigns have been going on for the past week,” says Kamanasish Sen, MP from Hooghly (Rural). “We have given the phone numbers of police stations and asked the public to contact us immediately if they see anything suspicious.”

However, the mob attacks have triggered a political storm in the state. In a speech in the state assembly on Tuesday, Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay blamed the events on the Raj Bhawan’s reluctance to sign the West Bengal Prevention of Lynching Bill, 2019.

Passed by the Assembly in 2019 and intended to deter mob lynchings, the bill was caught in the power struggle between Mamata’s Trinamool Congress government and the then governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. As a result, it is still awaiting the governor’s approval.

“The bill should have been signed by the governor. Had that been the case, we might not have seen mob lynchings in Bengal,” Bandopadhyay told reporters.

But opposition parties speak of a breakdown in law and order in the state.

“Though the state has witnessed such incidents one after the other, the police cannot seem to identify the culprits even with a telescope. Where are they? What precautions are being taken (to prevent this)? Nobody knows,” said BJP state president and MLA Sukanta Majumdar, BJP state president and MLA from Balurghat The Indian Express.

“They beat her like she was an animal”

According to neighbors and police, Prasen’s tormentors beat him all night.

“The three people who beat the boy are locals and knew him. When we reached the next morning, he was already dead,” said a neighbour, Asima Sarkar.

According to a senior police official of Bidhannagar police station, three people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Najir Hossain, 35, shows his X-rays showing his broken ribs in Barrackpore. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

In Prabhakarkati village under Amdanga police station in Barasat, Nehra Banu, 34, shows the scars on her body from an alleged mob attack on June 19. She and a female relative were looking for a restaurant in Kazipara when people stopped them and accused them of child stealing (baccha chor). Despite their protests, the attack allegedly continued.

“I told them I was a mother of two children. But they didn’t listen to me… They used sticks and a wrench to beat me,” Nehra said.

She was eventually rescued by police and admitted to Barsat State General Hospital, where she spent five days.

Eighteen people, including a woman, were arrested.

“They beat her like she was an animal,” said Ansar Ali, Nehra’s father, 57. “She is still traumatized.”

About 40 kilometres away, in Ruiapara, in the town of Barrackpore, Najir Hossain, a 35-year-old plumber, can barely walk. He has fractured ribs and legs and, although he is due to undergo a CT scan to confirm his condition, internal injuries to his head are also suspected.

He was returning home on June 21 when youths stopped him near the village of Chak Kathalia, about 20 minutes from his home.

“Suddenly, they all shouted ‘bachha chor, bachha chor’ and started beating me. I kept explaining to them that my house was nearby and I could call my brothers. They didn’t listen to me and continued beating me with iron rods and sticks,” Najir said.

Nehra Banu, 34, shows scars from an alleged mob attack in Barasat. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

One person was arrested following the incident.

In the home of 37-year-old Irshad Alam in Kolkata’s Belgachia neighbourhood, there is a pervasive sense of fear and loss. Alam, who worked at a TV repair shop in the Chandni Chowk neighbourhood, was lynched at a student hostel in Bowbazar on suspicion of stealing a mobile phone.

According to his wife Salma Bibi, 30, he left for work on the morning of June 26 and never returned. “In the evening, we learned what had happened. I went to the hospital but he was already dead.”

Fourteen people have been arrested in connection with the attack.

She now has to fend for herself with her two children, an 11-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy. “How are my children and I going to live now? He was the only earner in the family. How am I going to pay the rent and school fees?”

Contacted about the incidents in her district, Barasat Special Representative Pratiksha Jharkharia said the situation was under control.

“But incidents are happening in other areas. That is why we are continuing our awareness campaigns and using loudspeakers in different areas to inform people about these rumours,” she said, adding that a total of 35 people have been arrested following such incidents.

Similar action is also being taken in Jhargram, where a person died after being mistaken for a thief and assaulted on June 22. “Two persons have been arrested and charged with murder (IPC section),” Jhargram SP Arijit Sinha said.

For its part, the TMC believes that such awareness campaigns are essential to prevent these incidents.

“Our stand is clear,” Trinamool Congress spokesperson Arup Chakraborty said. “We do not tolerate those who commit such crimes. The police take action against criminals irrespective of their political affiliation. However, it is also true that this is a social evil and more awareness needs to be created among the public.”

But experts say that while a strict law is necessary, it is not enough on its own.

“It will depend on how the law is implemented. In such cases, prompt police intervention is required. But we have seen that the police and the administration are very reluctant so far,” said Adhir Sharma, a retired IPS officer and former head of West Bengal railway police.

Incidents

📌June 19: A man and a woman were beaten up in Kazipara in Barasat district (North 24 Parganas). Four policemen were injured while trying to rescue the victim.

📌June 21: A youth was assaulted in Ruiapara, Barrackpore (North 24 Parganas).

📌June 21: In Baruipur, a disabled woman was beaten by a mob.

📌June 21: A youth was severely beaten up by a mob near a local fair in Kuchut, Purba Bardhaman. The incident took place after rumours spread that a child had gone missing. The youth was rescued by the police.

📌June 22: Locals in Bangaon (North 24 Parganas) beat up a disabled person. The youth, who was seriously injured, was admitted to Bangaon sub-divisional hospital after being rescued by the police.

📌June 22: A woman was beaten up by a mob in Ashoknagar (North 24 Parganas) but was later rescued by police.

📌June 22: Two youths, residents of Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur, who were visiting Jamboni in the area, were beaten up. One of the youths succumbed to his injuries on June 30.

📌June 25: A youth was beaten up by residents of Darbashini in Pandua, Hooghly district. He died on June 30.

📌June 26: A man working in a television repair shop was forced into a student hostel in Kolkata’s Bowbazar and beaten with cricket bats and hockey sticks. He was rescued by police and taken to hospital, where he died.

📌June 26: Passengers assaulted a woman with a child on a local train in Bisharpara, North Parganas. Railway police had to charge to rescue the woman.

📌June 27: A 26-year-old youth was beaten up overnight in Polenite area under Bidhannagar Electronics Complex police station. He died on the spot.

📌June 27: A mentally challenged person was beaten up by youths in Petrapole area of ​​North 24 Parganas on suspicion of child abduction. Police rescued the injured youth.

📌July 2: A mob beat up a man near NRS Medical College Hospital in Sealdah, Kolkata. He was rescued by a traffic policeman on duty.