Despite strong warning from the police and a sustained campaign, mob lynching continues unabated in the city.
On Wednesday, 35-year-old Gautam Sahoo, a mentally challenged and homeless person, was beaten by a mob in the Old Town area. He was rescued by the police and handed over to the home run by the Association of Urban Tribal Development (AUTD) on Thursday.
In the last couple of weeks, the AUTD received 40 such cases, and all of them were homeless and a few mentally challenged. “Even Gautam is suffering from mental disease,” said Pragada Vasu of the AUTD.
Last Sunday, a 25-year-old Hindi-speaking man was stripped, tied to a post and beaten to death by a mob in the Old Town. The same day, a 30-year-old woman from Howrah and two men were beaten-up by a mob at Gavara Kancharapalem.
According to Mr. Vasu, most of the cases are being reported from the Old Town, Kancharapalem, Harbour area, Malkapuram and railway station.
After arresting a few persons for killing the man under IPC Section 302, the Police Commissioner T. Yoganand formed a team to take up an awareness campaign. The incidents were happening due to rumours of presence of kidnapping gang going viral on social media, he said.
