Two Men Almost Lynched Over Suspicion Of Being Child Kidnappers, Chennai Police Saved Them

Two labourers from Bihar, who were working at a Metro Rail construction site, were thrashed by a group of people in Chennai’s Teynampet on June 30. They were thrashed in suspicion of being child lifters.

On Saturday, at around 9 pm, five labourers were seen talking to a little kid. Reportedly, one of the five people had been the child’s neighbour. “The child’s mother Varalakshmi had gone to a nearby shop and the child Avinash ran out of the house following her. To protect him, one of the workers, Gopal Sahu, picked him up,” said a police officer, reported The New Indian Express.

Around the same street, one Selva Kumar spotted them and suspected that they are kidnappers and he raised an alarm. Expecting tension, the workers fled the scene. “As they were walking down Thiruvallur Salai, eight men on motorbikes surrounded them and started assaulting them,” said the police officer. Three of the men managed to flee but Sahu (25) and K Binoth Vikari (22) were thrashed. A police petrol rescued them. Teynampet police have registered a case.

The Lynching Epidemic: When will the government intervene?

Maharashtra: July 1, five lynched

Tripura: June 28, anti-rumour campaigner and two others lynched

Gujarat: June 27, one lynched

Uttar Pradesh: June 18, one lynched & one critically injured

Assam: June 8, two lynched

Maharashtra: June 8, two lynched & seven injured

Karnataka: May 23, one lynched

Telangana: May 22, one lynched

Tamil Nadu: May 9, one lynched

The Logical Indian Take

In May, a 65-year-old woman, on the way to a temple in Thiruvannamalai district, was thrashed because she was seen distributing sweets to children. The WhatsApp messages that have been spreading like wildfire is the reason behind the thrashing. Police are doing their part of raising awareness in different areas and asking people not to believe in these things. We should also play our part and refrain from spreading information without proper verification of the facts. However, there is a deafening silence from central and state governments and political parties over this critical issue.

Also, read: Fact Check: An Educational Video From Pakistan Is Edited And Shared To Spread Fear Of Child Kidnappers