MP man lynched over child-lifting rumours

BHOPAL/DHAR: A person was lynched and six suffered injuries in a mob attack fuelled by rumours that they were child-lifters, the Madhya Pradesh police said on Wednesday.

A group of seven including five farmers who went to recover their money from labourers were thrashed in Dhar district, officials said.

Naveen Sharma, Jagdish Sharma, Jagdish Patel, Vinod Mukati and Ravi Patel, residents of Ujjain district, had paid a group of labourers for agricultural work but they left before completing their job, said Dhar city superintendent of police Rajneesh. “...the farmers were at Khidkiya village under Tirla police station in two vehicles to get their money back... they were dubbed child-lifters by the labourers and attacked with stones,” he said. Ganesh Patel, 35, who was driving one of the vehicles, died in the attack. The identity of the seventh person could not immediately be ascertained.

After the attack began, the group of seven tried to drive away from the attackers. When they reached near another village, people intercepted them and beat them up, Rajneesh said.

One of their cars was set afire and the other was damaged.

The police said a FIR has been registered in the case. The murder charge will be added since one person has died, Rajneesh said, adding that efforts are on to nab the accused. Chief minister Kamal Nath ordered an inquiry. “This is an unfortunate incident. Such incidents put humanity to shame and can’t be tolerated. Instructions have been given for an inquiry into the entire matter,” he said.