4 Policemen Suspended Over Lynching Of Anti-Rumour Campaigner

Four police personnel were today suspended in connection with the lynching of a person hired by the Tripura government to spread awareness against rumour-mongering last month, a senior police official said.

The four were an assistant sub-inspector and a constable of the state police, and two Riflemen of the Tripura State Rifles, IG (Law and Order) KV Sreejesh said.

"These police personnel were there in the area for some other purpose. We have suspended them because a departmental inquiry has been initiated against them regarding their roles on that day," Mr Sreejesh said.

Whether there had been lapses on their part would be known after the inquiry is complete, he told reporters.

Sukanta Chakrabarty, 33 was lynched by a mob suspecting him of being a child-lifter at Kalachhara in South Tripura district on June 28. He was a member of a team set up by the state Information and Culture Affairs Department which was campaigning against rumour-mongering.

Investigation was on to find out the cause of rumour mongering, he said adding that more people could be arrested in this connection.

Altogether 14 people were arrested in that connection.

To a question, Mr Sreejesh said "They were not carrying any firearm that day. But they were not instructed against carrying firearms." Tripura police was closely monitoring similar incidents in other states of the country, the IG said.

Besides Sukanta Chakrabarty, an unidentified woman and a hawker from Uttar Pradesh were also lynched on the suspicion of being child-lifters in separate districts of the state on the same day.