New Delhi: A mob in Gaya district of Bihar beat up three men on suspicion of theft on the night of February 22. A day later, on February 23, one of the three succumbed to his injuries, according to reports.Hindi language news outlets Live Hindustan and Dainik Bhaskar have reported on the incident. The latter has noted that while some have alleged mutual enmity between the parties, others have pointed to a communal angle behind the violence as the three were Muslim.The Live Hindustan report notes that the around six Muslim men were allegedly seen riding a Scorpio vehicle around a village in the Barachatti block with weapons. Dainik Bhaskar has identified the village as Diha.The villagers told the news outlet that in the past month several houses had been stolen from, leading them to suspect that the men in the vehicle had come to steal. Villagers reportedly cornered three of them, beat them brutally and then handed them over to the police.Of them, 28-year-old Mohammad Babar passed away while receiving treatment, on Thursday.The two others, Sajid and Rukumuddin, are seriously injured, Dainik Bhaskar has reported.All three are residents of Kuri Sarai village, six kilometres from Diha.SSP Ashish Bharti told reporters that an investigation has started and that “three cartridges, a knife, a bomb and mortar” have been recovered from the victims’ car.Relatives of Mohammad Babar have claimed that it was a conspiracy and demanded justice. On Thursday, they blocked a road at Rampur in Belaganj, demanding an investigation into the incident.Babar’s uncle Afroz Alam told Dainik Bhaskar that he worked for a Kolkata hotel and had actually gone to the village to recruit more men to work at this hotel.The District Committee head of CPI(ML), Niranjan Kumar is among opposition leaders who have demanded compensation for Babar’s family.
