A man hired by the Tripura Information and Culture department to spread awareness against rumour-mongering was among two persons lynched in different areas of the state on the suspicion of being child-lifters, the police told PTI on 29 June.
Sukanta Chakrabarty (33) was lynched by a mob suspecting him of being a child-lifter at Kalachhara in South Tripura district on 28 June night, Assistant Inspector General of Police Smriti Ranjan Das told the news agency.
Chakrabarty was a member of a team of the state Information and Culture Affairs department which was campaigning against rumour-mongering. He was hired by the department for making appeals to the people not to fall prey to rumour-mongering.
Chakrabarty was attacked when the team was returning to Sabroom, Das said.
According to an Indian Express report, Chakrabarty was hired by the state government for a meagre sum of Rs 500 per day, to make announcements against rumour-mongering.
In view of the lynching incidents, Tripura Director General of Police AK Shukla suspended SMS and internet data services in the entire state for 24 hours, on 29 June, to prevent the spread of rumours.
Chief Minister Biplab Deb appealed to the people to maintain peace and said there was no child-lifter in the state. He alleged that it was a conspiracy of the CPI(M) to tarnish the image of the state government.
An unidentified woman was lynched and another injured when she along with four men was moving in a vehicle at Bishalgarh in Sipahijala district on 28 June.
In a separate incident, a hawker was lynched and two others were injured after a mob attacked them on the suspicion of being child-lifters at Murabari in West Tripura district on 28 June.
BJP state vice-president Pratima Bhowmik and Education Minister Ratanlal Nath in a joint press conference said they have alerted party workers to thwart any such incident and cooperate with the police.
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