Man beaten to death at Bhangar on suspicion of theft
The Statesman | 8 July 2024
A man was allegedly beaten to death on suspicion of theft near Bhangar market this morning. The incident occurred around 500 metres from Bhangar police station. The deceased was identified as Azgar Molla (50). In the early morning, the man was caught and tied up, suspected of being a thief.
It is alleged that he was also beaten while tied up. He died in the morning. The Opposition parties have raised questions as the entire incident took place close to the police station. According to police sources, the deceased was Azgar Molla, a resident of Fulbari area under Bhangar police station in South 24-Parganas. Locals have alleged that theft incidents had increased in the Bhangar Bazaar area over the past few days. Night patrols had been taken out in the area, but they were ineffective. Allegedly, thefts occurred after the patrols left, which angered the locals.
Subsequently, the man was caught early Sunday morning. It is claimed that he was initially tied up on suspicion of theft. Many people beat him. Seeing the man lying unconscious, everyone initially thought he was intoxicated. Later, he was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead. A local resident said: “Theft occurs after the night patrols leave. The same thing has been happening repeatedly for the past few days. So, we kept watch. He was caught around 4:30 AM.
He was tied up and beaten by everyone. He lay there for a long time. We all thought he was lying there intoxicated. But then it was found that he had died.” Notably, Bhangar police station is under Kolkata Police. Police sent the body for postmortem examination. An investigation into the incident has begun.
It is worth mentioning that in recent days, incidents of mob lynching have been occurring one after another in Kolkata and surrounding areas. In some cases, the victims died. In others, they were severely injured. A young man was recently beaten to death in a hostel in Bowbazar on suspicion of theft. A similar incident occurred in Salt Lake. Reports of mob lynching have also come from several places in North 24-Parganas. Now, Bhangar has been added to that list.