West Bengal sees spike in mob lynching, 12 cases reported in a week

In the recent incident that occurred in the Lakshmipur area of Chopra block in North Dinajpur, a woman was beaten up by a man in public as a crowd that gathered watched the assault without protest.

The incident reportedly occurred at an "arbitration meeting" and the opposition BJP and the Left alleged that the assailant is a local strongman named Tajemul who has TMC connections and is known for such acts with impunity. The accused is now under arrest.

Instead of involving police the Trinamool Congress strongman reportedly decided to serve "instant justice" and beat up the woman mercilessly kicking her and pulling her by her hair. While the woman screamed for help, no one came forward to rescue her.

The perpetrator also attacked a man along with the woman as he beat up both with a stick. The cause of the assault is not yet known.

North Dinajpur June 22

It came on the heels of a similar attack on two men in North Dinajpur, a video of which went viral and stirred a loud political debate.

Two young men, Sourav Shaw and his friend, were allegedly beaten by a mob on suspicion of theft in the Jamboni area on June 22 in Jhargram district. Sourav succumbed to his injuries after nine days in the hospital, while his friend remains in critical condition.

Police intervened upon receiving information and rescued the injured youths and they were taken to hospital. Sourav died during the treatment.

"A complaint was received against unknown persons six days after the incident. Two people --Mahendra Mittal and Dactar Soren-- have been arrested so far," Jhargram SP, Arijit Sinha, informed India Today.

Referring to the North Dimapur incident, Union Minister and BJP chief JP Nadda targeted the Mamata Banerjee government, saying, "A horrific video has come to light from West Bengal, reminding of the brutalities that exist only in theocracies. To make matters worse, the TMC cadre and MLAs are justifying the act".

Bengal has been witnessing a rise in mob violence incidents over the past week. At least 12 such incidents, including some resulting in fatalities, have been reported.

Hooghly, June 30

A young man, Ashish Baul Das, was beaten to death in the Hooghly district on June 30. According to reports, the incident occurred following an altercation between the victim and a group of men over a minor bike accident.

Eyewitnesses stated that Ashish's bike hit the vehicle of another man who was in a drunken state. According to locals, there was already tension between the two groups over playing loud music. After the bike accident, a few drunken men started beating Ashish Baul Das.

He was rescued and taken to the hospital by locals. However, he died on Saturday night.

Kolkata, June 29

A man was allegedly beaten to death on suspicion of mobile theft in Kolkata’s Salt Lake area. The victim has been identified as Prasenjit Mondal. Police arrested three people, including one Bangladeshi national, in connection with this incident. The deceased was taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead. The hospital authorities informed the police about the incident.

North Dinajpur, June 28

A couple was allegedly beaten up by local Trinamool Congress strongman Tajmul Haque, also known as JCB, in the North Dinajpur district on June 28.

In a viral video, a man is seen thrashing the couple with a bamboo stick while the woman is seen writhing in pain. The Trinamool leader was arrested after the video went viral.

Kolkata, June 28

A TV mechanic in Kolkata was beaten to death by a group of students on suspicion of being a mobile thief. The incident took place at Udayan Hostel in the Bowbazar area, where a mobile theft had been reported.

The deceased was seen roaming aimlessly around the hostel, prompting the students to question and then beat him. He was rescued by the police and taken to the hospital, where he later died. Kolkata police have arrested a total of 14 students in connection with this incident.

Coochbehar, June 27

West Bengal Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, alleged that a woman worker of BJP's minority Morcha was dragged for a kilometre and thrashed by “goons of the state ruling party” in Coochbehar. However, police dismissed the political angle, stating that the incident occurred due to a grudge within her family. Three women have been arrested in connection with the incident.

North 24 Parganas

At least six incidents of mob violence have been reported from the North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal. All incidents occurred over suspicions of child lifting.

For the past eight days, rumours of child lifting have spread across the district, leading to mob attacks in areas such as Barasat, Gopalnagar, Gaighata, Bongaon, Barrackpore, and Ashoknagar. Police rescued all the victims and transported them to hospitals for treatment. During one of the rescues, a police vehicle was vandalised by the mob.

BJP attacks Mamata Banerjee:

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee citing the alleged collapse of law and order in the state after a video showing a woman and a man being assaulted publicly by one close to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) went viral on social media.

BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia has accused Mamata of having no faith in the Constitution and said, "She has given freehands to her party goons to implement the Sharia law and Taliban rule.

Repeating the party's attack on the TMC over the alleged appeasement politics, Bhatia said, "Is this a message indulging in appeasement politics to your vote bank that now West Bengal believes in Sharia law and the Taliban law and not the Constitution of India and the criminal laws of the country?

"Mamata Banerjee should also answer why she is protecting the accused Tajemul aka JCB?.. The criminals are not afraid of the laws and the citizens are afraid of the TMC goons. Such is the plight of the citizens of West Bengal."

"Mamata Banerjee also holds the portfolio of Home Ministry. Therefore, she is the one who is guilty because law and order has completely collapsed in the state of West Bengal. She should resign forthwith as she is not able to ensure that law and order prevails in the state of West Bengal..," he added.