india

Updated: Jul 24, 2019 10:28 IST

A deaf and mute woman was beaten up on Tuesday in Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district on suspicion of being a ‘child lifter’ just a day after a middle-aged man was lynched in the same district on a similar suspicion.

Villagers attacked her after she was found wandering in the tea garden. Two police officers were injured while they tried to rescue the woman from the mob.

“The woman was rescued at Jiti tea garden near the Indo-Bhutan border in Jalpaiguri district. She has been admitted to a hospital,” said Debasis Chakraborty, a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Malbazar.

“Six people were arrested for their direct involvement in Tuesday’s lynching. Two assistant sub-inspectors Sanjay Ghosh and Sukanta Chakraborty were injured when they went to rescue the woman,” added Chakraborty.

Monday’s lynching took place in Sukani Basti in Nagrakata block. The distance between the two spots where the incidents of attack on suspected child-lifters took place on Monday and Tuesday was about 15 km.

On Monday, SDPO Chakraborty said, “The man was killed on a baseless allegation of being a child lifter. There has been no incident of child lifting in the subdivision.”

Till Tuesday evening, the police could not establish the identity of Monday’s victim. None from the family of the woman attacked on Tuesday came forward and contacted the police till evening.

The man dressed as a woman was first beaten up and later taken to the nearby railway track, where he was stoned to death.

Locals said the arrested people were tea garden workers and trade union leaders.

Incidentally, Monday’s lynching took place nine days after a woman was beaten up at Majer Dabri tea estate in Alipurduar on suspicion of being a child lifter.

That incident on July 13 triggered clashes between two groups and the police had to resort to baton-charge and fire tear gas shells to control the situation.

Till Tuesday evening, no one was arrested for attacking the deaf and mute woman.

Recently, incidents of a mob beating up people on suspicions of child lifting have been reported from Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts in north Bengal.

To tackle the menace, political parties, tea planters, police officers and social workers held a meeting at the office of the block development officer in Nagrakata (in Jalpaiguri district) to take stock of the situation.

“We have decided to join hands and create public opinion against rumours of child lifting circulating in the area and stop innocent people for falling victims to mob violence,” said Ram Awatar Sharma, secretary of Dooars branch of Tea Association of India.

“Managers of tea gardens have started creating awareness among the workers and their families and to convince people not to take the law into their hands,” Sharma added.

Smriti Subba, block development officer, Nagrakata said, “Meetings and awareness campaigns will be carried out by NGOs, panchayat authorities, educational institutions, and tea garden managements.