Rumour rampage: From ground zero of violence, voices of sanity

KOLKATA: Two days after 24-year-old Md Ashiq was severely beaten up in Phoolbagan under suspicion of being a child trafficker, voices of reason have started pouring in. People in both Narkeldanga, where Ashiq lives, and Phoolbagan areas think there is an urgent need for rational and logical sense to prevail. The locals in both areas admitted that rumours were snowballing and such incidents were a reaction to that.
Ashiq, who is critical and is admitted to a nursing home off EM Bypass, was apprehended by the locals in the Harijan settlements in the Dompara area on Friday. Residents said that when asked about his identity, he could not say anything. Some of the men who had gathered at the spot mistook him for a child trafficker and started beating him up. On Saturday,



17 people were arrested.

“We have never faced such trouble in the past, nor have we heard of such an incident in the locality,” said Mamata, wife of Kailash Das who was picked up by cops on Saturday. The wife of another person who was taken in by the police, Guriya Das, said, “My husband Sanjay works as a daily wage labourer. Now that he is in custody, there is nobody to support the family. I wish there was no trouble that day,” she said.

In Narkeldanga, Ashiq’s family was distraught, trying to get updates on his health on a regular basis. Ashiq works at a bangle manufacturing unit and takes care of his mother’s treatment. “He has never worn a burqa before. But suddenly on Friday, he vanished after jumma namaz. Later, the police came to inform us about the incident,” said his brother.

The video, in which Ashiq was seen being beaten up mercilessly, had gone viral in the thickly populated neighbourhood. “They hit his head with a stone. We have never seen such madness in people. The rumours of child traffickers has gained traction in our locality too. But one must apply logic before resorting to violence,” said Md Raju, Ashiq’s friend. “The police asked us to stay calm and assured us of all help,” he added.