Govt talks tough on lynch mob attack

The government issued on Monday a strong note of warning against killing of innocent people led by suspicion or rumour.
It said perpetrators of such barbaric acts would be exposed to stern punitive actions, amid several recent incidents of lynching calling the victims child lifters, reports BSS.
"Such acts (lynching) are serious punishable offence," said a government statement fearing that a vested quarter was spreading provocative rumours to expose ordinary innocent people to fatal mass beating.
The government asked people to inform police if activities of someone appeared suspicious instead of taking laws into their own hands. "Anyone can take assistance of dialing 999," the handout read.
The statement came while police headquarters earlier distributed an internal circular among all its subordinate offices including police stations across the country ordering stringent security vigil to prevent recurrence of lynching.
Earlier on July 20, the police headquarters issued a statement cautioning people against romours involving child lifting and describing killing of anyone based on rumour as a serious criminal offence. "Killing of anyone in mass beating based on child-lifting rumour is a criminal offence . . . don't take the laws into own hands," the police statement said.