40-year-old lynched over suspicion of cattle theft in Assam, 6 arrested

A man was lynched by villagers in Assam's Hojai district on suspicion of cattle theft. Six people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Silchar: A 40-year-old man was allegedly lynched by a group of villagers on suspicion of cattle theft in Hojai district of Assam in the early hours of Sunday, police officers said, adding that six people were arrested in connection with the incident.

“Several cattle thefts have occurred in our area in recent times and we started keeping vigil at nights,” a local resident told HT. “Late last night, a man was caught red-handed and some people started beating him in the dark.” (File photo)

According to the police, the incident took place at Bamungaon under Lanka police station limits in Hojai after midnight and they were informed about it around 2.40 am on Sunday.

“We got information early in the morning that one person was severely beaten by villagers suspecting him to be a thief. A police team reached the spot and found an unconscious man. We rushed hum to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries,” a senior officer from Lanka police station said, requesting anonymity. “The body has been sent to Nagaon civil hospital for post-mortem examination.”

The deceased was identified as Hifzur Rahman, a resident Bamungaon. Local residents alleged that he was caught red-handed while trying to steal two buffalos from a house late on Saturday night.

“Several cattle thefts have occurred in our area in recent times and we started keeping vigil at nights,” a local resident told HT. “Late last night, a man was caught red-handed and some people started beating him in the dark.”

Meanwhile, a case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered at Lanka police station based on a complaint lodged by the family members of the deceased on Sunday.

After the incident, police visited Bamungaon and arrested six people in connection with the case. They were identified as Sanjay Das, Nikhil Das, Tulendra Das, Uttam Chakraborty, Jayanta Chakraborty, and Sandhu Mazumdar, the officer quoted above said.

“An investigation is on to arrest more people involved in the incident,” the officer added.

HT reached out to Hajoi superintendent of police Saurabh Gupta, who said he was not aware of the incident.