A video showing a mob thrashing a man wearing a sari in Madhya Pradesh’s Singrauli district surfaced on social media on Wednesday. The incident is believed to have taken place on Tuesday. The mob beat him up as they suspected him of being a child abductor, PTI reported.
The man works as an “impersonator” and was on his way to another village for a performance where he was to mimic a woman.
Rumours about a gang of child lifters in the area have been doing the rounds on social media, police said. However, no such gang has been reported in the district, said Jain.
Local police rescued the 38-year-old in time, Singrauli Superintendent of Police Vinit Jain said. The man had nothing to do with abducting children, he said. Police will use the video of the incident to identify those who beat up the man and take action, Jain said.
Such incidents have been reported from multiple states in recent days. A mob allegedly beat to death a 40-year-old woman in Ahmedabad on Tuesday on the suspicion that she was a child abductor. A similar incident took place in central Assam on June 9 where two men were beaten to death on the suspicion of being kidnappers. More than 30 people have been arrested for being part of the mob, and 35 for spreading rumours on social media.
On June 13, a mob allegedly beat to death a man in West Bengal’s Malda on the suspicion that he was a child abductor.
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