Bengal man passes away week after mob attack, third such death in three days

KOLKATA: A 23-year-old man died at a hospital in West Bengal’s Jhargram district a week after he was beaten up by some people, police said.

This is the third death in a mob attack in the state. Two other similar incidents took place in Kolkata and Salt Lake on June 28 and 29.

An injured Sourabh Sau was found lying on a road in the Jamboni area near Jhargram town by locals on June 22. He was admitted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.

The police registered a case against unnamed persons based on a complaint lodged by Sau’s family on June 27.

His family, however, alleged that he was assaulted by a group of men engaged by a contractor who alleged that Sau had tried to steal parts of an earth mover that was parked on the roadside.

They claimed that Sau was out on his two-wheeler for some work, and while returning, he was resting under a tree. The earth mover machine was parked nearby.

On Saturday, a man identified as Prasen Mondal died after being thrashed by a mob in Salt Lake, while on Friday, Irshad Alam, a TV mechanic, was beaten to death at a state-run students’ hostel in Kolkata’s Bowbazar area.

Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said “mass hysteria can only be countered by mass counselling”.

Union minister Sukanta Majumdar, who is also the state BJP president, slammed the TMC government, alleging that it was failing to control such crimes.