IMPHAL: A 26-year-old Mohammad Farooq Khan was lynched to death by irate mob on suspicion of being a motor vehicle thief in the Tharoijam village in Imphal West district.
According to media reports, Khan, a resident of Thoubal district was studying MBA in Bangalore and had come home on vacation. He was lynched by villagers suspecting that he had stolen a two-wheeler on September 13. The two others with Khan, who managed to escape the wrath have not been identified so far.
Frightening videos of the incident that took place on Thursday 14th September are doing rounds on social media platforms also showed that the four police personnel were “present at the spot but did nothing” to save when a bleeding Khan who was lying in a field. He was alive and his body was moving slightly. He died on the spot.
“The presence of policemen shows that the villagers had probably called them and they arrived. But they did nothing to save the victim. Their role needs to be investigated,” a relative of the victim said.
After the videos went viral, the Manipur police have suspended four policemen on Sunday and initiated an inquiry against the personnel.
Ye police wale ko dekho police wale ke shaam ne mara hai .mujhe ye police wale ke shaam ne bahut gusaa aaraha hai .agar aapke dost bahut kabil ye tarif hai us sakhs ko ilzam lage mara toh tum kya karoge …? pic.twitter.com/sEI7iIMast
— A shaha (@shahaa440) September 15, 2018
The incident triggered sharp condemnations. A sit-in protests and candle-light vigil by scores of members of the group were observe. Holding placards with various anti-hatred messages printed on them, like “Not To Hate Crime”, “No More Violence” and “Stop Violence Against Muslims,” Muslim organisations demanded a thorough probe by the government, contending that the victim was innocent.
Fearing sparks of Hindu-Muslim tensions, police said to have taken steps to ensure the crime does not have a communal spillover.
In recent months, the BJP-ruled Manipur and Assam have witnessed a spate in lynching.