RANCHI: Jharkhand has been witnessing a disturbing trend of mob violence with at least 12 incidents of assault being reported from accross the state over the past week.
Violent mobs have assaulted people over allegations of child theft, killing one person in the Chatra district and leaving several others critically injured in different parts of the state.
On Sunday, a 45-year-old mentally challenged man was brutally beaten to death by a violent mob over allegations of child theft in Chatra's Piparwar. The victim died while undergoing treatment at a government hospital on Monday.
Despite Jharkhand Police's clarification that there is no evidence of any organised child-lifting gang in the state, rumours fuelled by messages forwarded on WhatsApp have triggered widespread panic among the residents of Chatra and nearby districts, leading to increasing incidents of violence.
Since the beginning of February, as many as 33 people sustained injuries after being beaten up by violent mobs over rumours of child theft, in 17 incidents reported across five districts.
The latest attack was reported from Edalhatu in Ranchi on Thursday, where two women and a man were brutally beaten up by locals over allegations of child trafficking.
According to police, the attack happened when the victims were travelling in an auto-rickshaw with a child. Noticing that the child was crying, a violent mob intercepted the autorickshaw, got hold of the victims and assaulted them.
Similar incidents were reported from Dhanbad, Chatra, Jamshedpur, Jamtara, Giridih, Ramgarh, Latehar and Bokaro.
Authorities have issued an urgent appeal urging residents to remain calm and not fall prey to misinformation.
Ramgarh SP Ajay Kumaradvised people not to believe any unverified information and urged them not to take the law into their own hands.
If anyone is suspected of child abduction, inform the nearest police station or dial 112 for emergency service, he said.