Rising incidents of mob lynching in Assam

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: On Monday, Animesh Bhuyan – a member of the Brahmaputra Anchalik unit of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) – was brutally beaten to death by a mob in Jorhat while two others were critically injured. They were attacked by the mob when they were trying to assist some people who had met with an accident. The mob mistook them as the persons who had caused the road mishap, and attacked them, resulting in Bhuyan's death.

This horrific incident has once again highlighted the ugly face of mob violence and drawn attention to the festering mob mentality in the State. In the last 16-17 months, almost half a dozen cases of mob lynching have been registered in various parts of Assam.Shockingly, yesterday's incident took place in Jorhat, which is among the districts with a high literacy rate in the State. So far, 13 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the incident. On June 13, 2021, Sarat Moran was beaten to death at Kordoiguri village in Tinsukia district by a mob that suspected him to be a cow thief. Before that, in February, Mansing Rongpi was lynched to death by a mob in Barelong Bay village, Karbi Anglong after he allegedly misbehaved with a woman. Eight people were arrested in this connection.

One June 12, 2020, Rituparna Pegu was killed in Noonmati, Guwahati by a mob. Five people were arrested in this connection. On May 31, 2020, Debashish Gogoi, a B.Sc final semester student was beaten to death by a mob in front of his father and sister at Mariani, Jorhat. Twelve people were arrested. On May 22, 2020, Sanatan Deka – a vegetable vendor– was lynched to death by a mob in Monahkuchi village near Hajo in Kamrup district. Five people were arrested in this connection.

A social worker said that the need of the hour was to create awareness among people to prevent such incidents of mob lynching. "There is a lack of patience among people nowadays. They are quick to take the law into their hands. The police and administration must take the help of gaon burahs in rural areas and social organizations in urban areas to create awareness among people about the legal consequences of mob lynchings. Various steps must be taken to make people understand that they should not take the law in their hands and instead, seek help from the police. Without awareness among people and people's cooperation, heinous crimes like mob lynching cannot be checked," he said.

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