Man lynched in Gujarat, another injured by mob on suspicion of theft

A man was lynched and another critically injured after a mob in the tribal district of Dahod intercepted two history sheeters and beat them up on suspicion of theft late Saturday night, police said.

Police have registered a case of murder and rioting against 100 people following the incident in Kali Mahudi village of Jalod taluka, just over 200 km east of Ahmedabad.

The police said the two men had been released on bail from Dahod jail in a theft case only four days back. The man who was killed has been identified as Ajmel Vahoniya (22) and injured as Bharu Palas.

“Palas told us that they were on motorbike travelling to Jhalod on Saturday when a group of people stopped them while they were crossing Kali Mahudi village. Suspecting that they were running away after a robbery, the group called on other people as well. Palas told us that a mob of around 100 people beat them with wooden sticks and iron rods,” said P K Judal, investigating officer with Limbdi police station.

The officer added that a villager had called the police but by the time they reached the spot, the mob had badly thrashed the duo. “Vahonoiya died on the spot. Palas has been admitted to a hospital,” said Judal.

Police said that both Vahoniya and Palas have several robbery and theft cases registered against them. “Vahoniya was also accused in a double murder case,” said the police.

The villagers reportedly told the police that upon information that a big group of robbers had arrived in their village, they have managed to catch the duo, while other fled.

The police said it has started an investigation and are trying to identify those were part of the mob to make arrest.

The latest lynching came four days after the Union government announced a high-level committee under Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba to “deliberate” and “make recommendations” for a separate penal provision on incidents of mob violence.

The government set up the panel after the Supreme Court on July 17 asked Parliament to consider enacting a new law to effectively deal with incidents of mob lynching, saying “horrendous acts of mobocracy” cannot be allowed to become a new norm.

Six days after the Supreme Court denounced the “sweeping” incidents of lynching as “an affront to the rule of law” and called for a law to deal with such “horrendous acts of mobocracy”, the government Monday informed Lok Sabha that it had created a Group of Ministers (GoM) under Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and a high-level committee under Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba to “deliberate” and “make recommendations” for a separate penal provision on incidents of mob violence.