Eight people lynched over rumours spread on WhatsApp

Mobs in the Indian state of Jharkhand attacked the victims following rumours that a gang was kidnapping children.

New Delhi // Police in eastern India have made nearly two dozen arrests after eight people were killed in a wave of lynchings sparked by rumours on WhatsApp and social media.

Mobs in the largely tribal Jharkhand state set upon the victims with sticks and fists over two days of violence last week following rumours that a gang was kidnapping children, police said.

The brutality of the murders – captured potently in one viral image showing a bloodied man on his hands and knees begging for his life – has sparked outrage and allegations of police negligence.

Jharkhand has been on edge since the lynchings, just the latest in recent months across India, where mobs have murdered people for inter-faith marriages and alleged offences involving sacred cows.

Prashant Anand, police superintendent in thestate’s main city of Jamshedpur, said residents of two neighbouring districts attacked “any outsider irrespective of his community” after baseless rumours spread on WhatsApp and social media.

“We have so far arrested 20 people, five for lynching and 15 others for rioting or clashing with the authorities,” he said.

Distraught relatives of the victims have also clashed with authorities since the attacks, demanding a speedy investigation into the murders.

Local authorities have launched a public awareness campaign, distributing flyers to dispel rumours about the child kidnapping racket.

Police have been criticised for not responding quickly to dispel the misinformation, or to assure villagers about the safety of their children as fear took hold.

Child trafficking is a major problem in India, particularly in rural areas. Victims are sold off to work in factories or as beggars and prostitutes.

India’s indigenous tribes often suffer the worst rates of poverty, malnutrition, education and life expectancy.

* Agence France-Presse