On Wednesday, February 22, a mob in Gaya, Bihar, ruthlessly beat up Mohd Babar, Sajid and Rakhmuddeen –three Muslim youths– on “suspicion of theft”, killing one near instantly and leaving the other two in critical condition. According to the report published by Maktoob Media, the incident occurred on the night of February 22 in the Gaya district of Bihar’s Barachatti block. As was provided by the witnesses, the villagers apprehended the youths, took law into their hands and mercilessly thrashed the three young men. It is being alleged by the villagers that the men were carry weapons.

They were later handed over to police, who took them to the hospital. However, one of the men, Mohd Babar, aged 28, died as a result of his injuries. Sajid and Rakhmuddeen, the other two men who were attacked by the mob, are in critical condition. They had been admitted to Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College before being transferred to Patna Hospital due to their serious condition.

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This incident comes on the back of another ghastly incident, just over a week ago, when two young men, Junaid and Nasir were brutally beaten and burned to death in Bhiwani, Rajasthan. Sabrangindia had reported on February 16 how, after being kidnapped two days before, these two young youth, who had nothing to do with ‘cows’ were abducted and brutally killed in Haryana. The impunity enjoyed by vigilantes in that state has not been curbed since the first incidents there in 2014.

The police have opened an investigation into the Gaya lynching and have registered a case.

Meanwhile, the victims’ families have claimed that the youths were innocent and were falsely accused of theft. The incident sparked outrage in the neighborhood, with residents demanding harsh punishment for the attackers.

Following the incident, the enraged family members of the deceased blocked Rampur Mor in Belaganj, which was reopened two hours later on the administration’s assurance. The District Secretary of the CPI ML, Niranjan Kumar, along with District Committee member and Belaganj leader, Mundrika Ram, and AISA leader, Mohd.Sherjahan, have all strongly condemned the heinous act of mob lynching. They have demanded that the accused perpetrators be arrested right away. They have also demanded a government job and a compensation of twenty lakh rupees for the deceased’s family.

Niranjan Kumar also stated that the entire incident was the result of local police negligence and a breakdown in law and order, and that the president of the Belaganj police station should be fired immediately, as was reported by Live Hindustan.

This story was originally published in cjp.org . Read the full story here