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Rights

Man Lynched in Bihar's Araria Over Suspicion of Cattle Theft

Around 300 people attacked the man, kicking and hitting him with sticks, a video of the incident shows.

New Delhi: A 55-year-old man in Bihar’s Araria district was killed in a mob attack last week on suspicion of cattle theft, police said Thursday. According to NDTV, around 300 people kicked and repeatedly hit the victim, one Mohammad Kabul, with sticks until he lay motionless, a video captured by an alleged attacker on their mobile phone shows.

The incident took place on December 29 in Simarbani village, about 300 km from Patna.

The assailants can be heard laughing and encouraging each other to continue the attack even while the man pleads for mercy and says he has no reason to steal anyone’s cattle, as per a video from the incident. Police launched a probe when one of the videos went viral on social media, according to a DNA report – two days after the incident. “We are trying to identify the culprits in the video and strict action will be taken against them,” a senior police officer said.

K.P. Singh, Araria sub-divisional officer, told NDTV that the victim knew his attackers as they belonged to the same community. An FIR has been registered in the matter against unknown persons. The police are yet to make any arrests in the case.

Muslim Miyan, who reportedly led the attack, had earlier reported a case of cattle theft against the victim.

In a separate incident, a mob protesting a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader’s death in Nalanda district of the state allegedly lynched two people, including a 14-year-old boy, on Wednesday. The boy was related to a suspect in the killing of the RJD leader.

The leader, Indal Paswan, was shot dead in Nalanda district on Tuesday night. Nalanda is the home district of the chief minister. Three people have been arrested in the case so far.

Amid these attacks, the opposition has slammed the Nitish Kumar government over the deteriorating law and order in the state. Tejashwi Yadav, a vocal critic of the ruling government, took to Twitter to allege that the “Nitish government is working hand in glove with criminals.”