Incidents of mob fury directed at strangers are now becoming common in the State and with many rumours circulating in the social media on the movements of suspects, persons who appear to be mentally challenged are becoming targets of lynching.
In a chilling incident at the railway station in Repalle on May 21, an unidentified woman was attacked brutally by an unruly mob. The woman, who was seriously injured, was later admitted to the GGH, Guntur.
According to SI Ravindra Reddy, she got down from the Tenali-Repalle passenger at about 1 pm and was heading to an eatery when she was confronted by locals. She was unable to communicate with them and even as she was having dinner, a group of six men armed with sticks beat her up mercilessly causing grievous injuries. The RPF police swung into action and rescued her. Three youth had been arrested.
Ch. Venkata Appala Naidu, SP, Guntur Rural, warned of stringent action against those resorting to violence. In cases of movement of strangers, the police should be informed, he said.
Locals said it was usual that people get down at Repalle as this was the last station on the route. They also reported to have seen mentally challenged people in the station premises who leave after staying for a day or two.
The Guntur Urban Police launched a series of drives aimed at rescuing strangers. Sarvashresth Tripathi, who was earlier SP, Guntur Urban, launched one to identify destitutes at the railway stations and other public places and admitted them to the Nirmala Hridaya centres.
People need to be sensitised on the issue and any incident of mob violence should be taken seriously by the police.
