The thief who was rumoured to be mob-lynched in Hailakandi has been arrested from Karimganj

On August 29, a huge clash broke in Hailakandi over alleged lynching of a boy. Soon it turned to a clash between locals and Police. The circle officer rushed to the spot in order to calm the mob but he failed. The mob resorted to stone-pelting and the Additional SP of Hailakandi Police got injured. The Police had to fire several rounds of tear-gas.

According to the locals, Chanpur resident Rahim Uddin Laskar was lynched to death inside the Fire and Emergency services station at Basic Road in Hailakandi. The locals alleged that Rahim was picked from his house and then beaten mercilessly. He was then rushed to Silchar Medical College and Hospital where he was declared dead.

The circle officer, Tridib Roy, however, maintained that the boy is missing and not dead. The locals used social networking platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to gather the mob. First, an image of a wounded boy was shared claiming it is Rahim Uddin’s body. The face was not visible as the photograph was clicked from the backside. Later, a lawyer, who is widely respected in the area started questioning the role of Fire officials. He gave a statement to the media where he claimed that the boy was lynched and there is “enough circumstantial” evidence to prove it.

“The matter was given a communal colour,” recalls a Police officer who got hurt during the clash with the local public. The higher administration ordered the local police to take strict action. That is when the police officials said that the reaction on the basis of a rumour is not justified. They appealed to the locals to wait for the investigation to uncover the truth.

Today, Rahim Uddin Laskar has been arrested in Karimganj district after he stole another mobile phone from a resident in the district. Karimganj Police has confirmed that he is the same Rahim Uddin Laskar who was rumoured to be lynched in Hailakandi Fire Station.

Hailakandi DC, Megh Nidhi Dahal said he is yet to get a formal report from Karimganj about the arrest of Rahim Uddin Laskar. “We knew it from day one, that he is alive,” said Dahal. “Some narrow-minded people for their own vested interest decided to spread rumour and create a law and order situation in the district at a time when the entire administration is busy dealing with COVID. We had reports of this boy being spotted roaming around, but we did not make a comment as we were waiting for the police to trace the boy,” the deputy commissioner added.

Here is what Dahal said back then (“There Is No Clarity If The Boy Has Actually Died,” DC Megh Nidhi Dahal Blames Rumour-Mongering For Tension)