2 Sikh devotees, 2 others thrashed by mob in Patna

This is 13th incident of mob beating in Patna district in the last eight days. The incidents come in the backdrop of a spate of similar cases in several parts of the state when people were either attacked or lynched on suspicion of being child abductors.

Four persons, including two Sikhs, were thrashed by local residents on the suspicion of being child-lifters in Patna’s Digha area and Parsa Bazar police stations area on Saturday in three separate incidents.

Police said locals mistook them for being child-lifters after they were spotted wandering in Gandhinagar locality of Digha. (Representative image)

This is 13th incident of mob beating in Patna district in the last eight days.

The incidents come in the backdrop of a spate of similar cases in several parts of the state when people were either attacked or lynched on suspicion of being child abductors.

Two Sikh men, identified as Vicky Singh (28), a resident of Vikaspuri in New Delhi, and Prince Singh (24) of Karnal, were distributing pamphlets at Gandhi Nagar locality of Digha police station area on Saturday, claiming to be followers of Khalsa Panth and promoting spiritual ideology of Guru Nanak Singh.

Police said locals mistook them for being child-lifters after they were spotted wandering in Gandhinagar locality of Digha. Both the men were overpowered by a mob, when they started running after a chase. The mob caught hold of them and gave them severe beating.

However, some locals saved them and alerted the police. The two have been admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) with external injuries.

The Gandhi Nagar locality is located close to Handi Sahib Gurudwara where Sikh guru Sri Guru Gobind Singh, on way to Punjab, had stayed for some time.

Vicky said they had reached Patna from Delhi on Tuesday to promote spiritual ideology of Guru Nanak Singh. They were staying at Handi Sahib Gurudwara. “Despite giving them my identification and pleading innocence, mob abused and thrashed me,” he said.

City SP (central) Binay Tiwari, who visited the place of occurrence, said four persons had been arrested in this connection.

In a similar incident, a 40-year-old man, identified as Amit Kumar, was beaten up at Digha Ghat locality on suspicion of being a child-lifter. Tiwari, who was on way to Patna from Gandhi Nagar, rescued Kumar from the mob.

“We are investigating the incident. We have taken the man into our custody and sent him to hospital for treatment,” said the city SP, adding that awareness is also being spread regarding the issue.

In another incident, a mentally challenged woman was thrashed after being tied with a tree in Sakraicha village of Parsa Bazar police station area. Locals, mostly women, claimed she was spotted in the neighbourhood for the past few days and used candies to lure the children. The injured woman was taken to the PMCH for treatment.

A senior official of the state home department said old incidents were being distorted and cooked up with fake messages and made viral on social media. He said police and other authorities had been alerted across the state to keep an eye on social media and scotch rumours to avoid incidents of mob lynching and beatings.

Range DIG Rajesh Kumar said, “Neither any child lifting incident has been reported from any part of the district nor any gang is active.”