Two brutal attacks in the heart of Silchar raise mob-justice concerns; Cachar SP Assures Action
Racial slurs, abuses, punches, and kicks. Two videos have gone viral, both filmed on the same day and almost the same location. In one video, a bald, bearded man is seen being assaulted by a group of men. The video also shows a police officer attempting to control the situation, but he, too, was pushed aside. In the other video, a man is tied to a pole and attacked by a mob. Both incidents occurred in the Sadarghat area on Sunday.
The bald man who was assaulted has been identified as an official associated with the Manipur Police. He was travelling on a bus from Jiribam to Silchar. According to police sources, the mob attacked him because he allegedly asked for the phone number of a female co-passenger. However, the police sources also confirmed that the woman refused to file a complaint.
While the bald man was accused of outraging a woman’s modesty, the reason for tying the long-haired man to the pole and assaulting him appeared to be the age-old rumour of “child-lifting.” Not long ago, Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath were beaten to death by a mob in Karbi Anglong, who presumed them to be child-lifters.
The video from Sunday in Silchar brings back horrifying memories of the Karbi Anglong incident. The man, wearing a red hoodie, was tied to a pole and repeatedly beaten. All this occurred just two minutes away from the district headquarters and around 500 metres from the nearest police station. After conducting medical tests, Cachar Police confirmed that the man is mentally unstable.
Cachar Superintendent of Police (SP) Numal Mahatta, speaking with Barak Bulletin, said, “We have initiated an investigation and are probing both incidents. We have also informed Manipur Police about their official and will follow all standard procedures as per the law. Regarding the other case, the man is mentally unstable.”
SP Mahatta added, “People should not take the law into their own hands, and if someone does so, action will be taken against them. The videos are available, and the police will take necessary action against those seen breaking the law.”
When the common men feel, they have the right to investigate, judge and punish an accused, the pillars of democracy shake, the fundamental rights get violated and the system starts crumbling like a house of cards. How Cachar SP addresses the recent issues and at the same time, sets an example against mob-justice is something that remains to be seen.
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