Fake WhatsApp Forward Claims Another Victim; Transgender Thrashed To Death In Hyderabad

Fake WhatsApp forwards claimed another victim as a group of transgenders were thrashed in Hyderabad’s Old City on suspicion of being kidnappers, and one of them succumbed to death on Saturday, May 26.

The incident took place in Chandrayangutta. According to police, four transgenders were seen in the locality recently. They had come from Mahabubnagar to seek alms during the holy month of Ramzan, police said. The incident took place at around 12.10 am near Naseeb Nagar, reported The New Indian Express.

Late at night on Saturday, locals started questioning them. Then the mob attacked them. The policemen were trying to ward off the mob, but it was too late as two of them lay motionless on the ground. Locals also pelted stones at the police officers that came to the rescue of the transgender.

According to reports, the injured were shifted to the Osmania General Hospital, where one of them succumbed to her injuries. Her body has been shifted to the mortuary for an autopsy. Another woman is grievously injured. Police said that all the four people would have died if they would not have intervened. They have also arrested five people in connection with the crime.

Earlier

An angry mob lynched a 26-year-old youth on suspicion of being a child smuggler last week. The incident took place in Pension Mohalla in Chamarajpet police limits, Bengaluru. Seven people were arrested for the crime. The 26-year-old guy was a labourer from Rajasthan.

Also around last week, 12 people were thrashed in Vishakhapatnam again because of the WhatsApp message. One person lost his life, and a few others were critically injured. The police have already issued several warnings asking people not to believe in the WhatsApp forwards. They have repeatedly told them that it was fake and no kidnappers are roaming freely in Telangana, Andhra or Karnataka.

Taking to Twitter on Sunday morning, the Hyderabad police tweeted, “Dear all, please don’t believe and share the news that gangs from other states have entered into Telugu states (robbers and kidnappers) on your social media accounts. It is all fake.”

“Don’t share viral content, which makes the citizens unnecessarily panic. If you suspect someone, just dial 100 or share information with your local police via whatever means is available to you. Thank you,” it added.

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— hyderabadpolice (@hydcitypolice) May 27, 2018

The Logical Indian Take

We need stringent punishments against those who resort to such acts of violence. To uphold the safety of citizens, law and order need to be established. In the meanwhile, people from all strata of life need to be educated and made aware of the evils of mob lynching. This isn’t an isolated incident, but innocents are continually thrashed by goons who believe they are above the law.

Creating or sharing fake news is never justified. We have a responsibility to verify everything that we post on the internet. To ensure that our national debate is healthy and well-informed, each and every one of us has a responsibility of treating what we read with a pinch of salt, a spoonful of doubt, and a flood of research.

Also Read:

26-Yr-Old Beaten To Death In Bengaluru Over Suspicion Of Being A Kidnapper, Seven Arrested

AP: Fake WhatsApp Forward Of Child Kidnappers Takes Life Of A Man, Five Critically Injured