AGARTALA: A man hired by the Tripura Information and Culture department to spread awareness against rumour-mongering was among two people lynched in different areas of the state on the suspicion of being
child-lifters, the police said on Friday.
Sukanta Chakrabarty (33) was lynched by a mob suspecting him of being a child-lifter at Kalachhara in South Tripura district last night, assistant inspector general of police Smriti Ranjan Das said.
Chakrabarty was a member of a team of the state Information and Culture Affairs department which was campaigning against rumour-mongering. He was hired by the department for making appeals to the people not to fall prey to rumour-mongering.
Chakrabarty was attacked when the team was returning to Sabroom, Das said.
In view of the lynching incidents, Tripura director general of police AK Shukla has suspended SMS and Internet data services in the entire state for the next 24 hours to prevent rumour-mongering.
Chief minister
Biplab Deb on Friday appealed to the people to maintain peace and said there was no child-lifter in the state.
He alleged that it was a conspiracy of the CPM to tarnish the image of the state government.
An unidentified woman was lynched and another injured when she along with four men was moving in a vehicle at Bishalgarh in Sipahijala district yesterday.
In a separate incident, a hawker was lynched and two others were injured after a mob attacked them on the suspicion of being child-lifters at Murabari in West Tripura district yesterday.
BJP state vice-president Pratima Bhowmik and education minister Ratanlal Nath in a joint press conference said they have alerted party workers to thwart any such incident and cooperate with the police.
Tripura CM Biplab Deb has appealed to people to maintain peace. (File photo)