Kolkata: In yet another case of lynching, a man in his late 40s was allegedly beaten to death on suspicion of being a thief at Bhangar early on Sunday.
The 45-year-old man was first spotted by some vegetable vendors around 5.45 am on Sunday when they were entering Bhangar market. Samser Gaji, a vendor, said: “Initially we thought the man was a drug addict lying down, but later, when some people took him to the hospital, he was declared dead.”
Azgar Molla, the deceased, was a resident of Phulbari in Bhangar.His body was found 500 metres from the local police station.
Local residents alleged that there have been multiple instances of theft in Bhangar bazar area following which residents of the area had organized a night watch. The fatal assault on Molla is believed to have occurred around 4.30 am when people found him loitering in the area. They allegedly tied him up and beaten him before leaving him on the ground.
The police reported that they received the information early in the morning and found that the family was trying to take the body home for burial, refusing to hand it over to the cops as they did not want an autopsy, citing religious reasons. The police had to convince the family and eventually took the body into custody.
An officer stated that the exact cause of death was unclear, though they are probing if it was due to a thrashing. “We are speaking to several people, sending the body for a post-mortem and are checking CCTV footage to know the exact cause of his death,” said a senior Kolkata Police officer.
Cops said the deceased had a troublesome past. He was a drug addict and his wife had left him 12 years ago.
No complaint was filed by the family. DC Saikat Ghosh said cops have initiated a case on their own and started investigating it.
In the past few days, there have been multiple incidents of mob lynching in Kolkata and its surrounding areas. In some cases, the victims have died, while in others, they have been seriously injured.