Man brutally thrashed by crowd for petty theft

BHAGALPUR: A man was mercilessly beaten by a crowd, tied to a policeman's motorcycle and dragged after being accused of stealing a gold chain in Nathnagar town of Bhagalpur district.

Mohd Aurangzeb had allegedly snatched a gold chain from a devotee Shanti Devi in front of Manskamnadhish temple here following which he was ruthlessly thrashed by a crowd.

ASI L B Singh and constable Ramchandra Rai arrived at the scene and took him into custody. One of them then tied Aurangzeb by his foot to the vehicle and dragged him on the street for some distance. He was then dumped on a cycle-cart to be taken to the police station before being sent to a hospital.

As some channels aired the incident, DIG, Bhagalpur range, G N Sharma said "it was an attempt to discredit the police which had done a good job in rescuing the thief from the crowd."

He said that "Aurangzeb, who was fastened to the motorcycle to prevent him from escaping, fell on the bumpy road accidentally and got dragged for a little distance".

Bihar police spokesperson Anil Sinha described the incident as "horrifying and "shocking".

"We condemn it. An inquiry has been ordered into the incident and the policeman has been suspended," he added.

State Home Secretary Afzal Amanullah said instructions have been given to the Superintendent of Police to inquire into the incident.

Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad termed the incident as shameful.

He alleged that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has no control over the administration.