In June, two Assamese youths were beaten to death by local villagers for being mistaken as child abductors in a remote area of Karbi Anglong district of Assam. The fake news of child kidnappers is back in Assam. This time in Mahur, three priests were attacked by a mob that believed they were kidnappers out to get children. The army arrived just in time to save the three people.
The Indian Army to the rescue
The priests from Uttar Pradesh, reportedly aged between 26-32 years, were travelling in their car when it was stopped in Mahur, about 250 kms away from the state capital, Guwahati. The locals dragged the three men out of their vehicle and started an argument with them. Meanwhile, two priests managed to escape.
As the crowd started to grow, some locals informed the nearby army unit that was 29 km away, at Haflong, fearing a repeat of the Karbi Anglong incident. The soldiers reached the spot timely and rescued one of the priests. The other two, who had run away, were also caught by the locals half-a-kilometre away and handed over to the army, as reported by NDTV.
The gathered mob
The priests were first taken to the army camp for questioning and then handed over to the police.
As reported by the Hindu, Prasanta Saikia, the District’s Superintendent of Police, said that the soldiers rescued the priests before they were assaulted. The locals had rummaged through their belongings in the car and found an LPG cylinder, some packets, medicines and sprays.
“The cooperation of some local people helped avert a serious situation,” Mr Saikia said.
The Logical Indian Take
Over the last two months, around 20 killings have taken place across the country following social media-based rumours. Fake news and mob lynching – two evils that have become part of our society now. The fake news and twisted sense of justice among people are driving our country to utter lawlessness. We appreciate the timely action by the Indian Army.
