Assam: Mother-Son Duo Lynched By Mob Over Suspicion Of Killing The Latter's Wife, Daughter

A woman and her son, suspected of killing the latter’s wife and daughter, were lynched by a mob in Tinsukia district of Assam. Police officials said that the incident took place at Sewpur Tea Estate in Rongpuria area of the district, 485 km east of the state capital, on June 7, Friday.

“The mother, Jamuna Tanti, died of her injuries on Friday, while her son Ajay, who was admitted in hospital with critical injuries, succumbed on Saturday morning,” Hindustan Times quoted Tinsukia police station in-charge Dipak Tamuli as saying.

A video of the incident surfaced on the internet, in which the victims can be seen lying on the ground and being beaten by a mob with rods and sticks.

The Incident

The mob attacked the duo after Ajay’s wife Radha’s body was found in a septic tank near their house on June 7. Radha had been missing since June 5. Ajay and Radha married two years ago.

The couple’s two-month-old daughter, who has also been missing from June 5, has not been traced till now.

“We have registered a case against unknown persons. No one has been arrested yet,” Tamuli said.

The day they were lynched, Ajay told informed neighbours that his daughter and wife were missing.

Radha’s family, suspecting foul play, reached Ajay’s house and upon searching, they found Radha’s body in the tank. They began damaging the house. With the news spreading, a mob attacked Ajay, accusing him of killing his wife and daughter. They did not spare his mother Jamuna either.

Mob Lynching Is Not The Solution

Mob violence has been on the rise in India for the past few years. From cow vigilantes lynching people to social media rumours prompting hate crimes, mob lynching has become a dark reality in India.

The past few years have seen several hate crimes, many of which were communal in nature. During the first seven months of 2018, 24 people were killed in mob attacks. There is over 4.5 times rise in mob attacks, and two-fold rise in deaths over 2017, and IndiaSpend analysis revealed.

Between 1 January 2017, and 5 July 2018, at least 99 people were injured and 33 killed in 69 reported cases of mob violence. In the first six days of July 2018, there were nine cases of mob violence over child lifting rumours and five deaths, amounting to more than one attack recorded each day.

While several of these attacks are related to cow smuggling and trading, several others are related to fake messages spreading rumours.

Considering the recent incident, irrespective of whether the man and his mother were responsible for killing Radha or not, lynching them led to a brutal crime which cannot be justified.

Also Read: Assam: Another Mob Lynching Over Suspicion Of Cow Theft; One Die, Three Injured