Week-long campaign against rumour, Call 999 for help

Police will start a week-long public awareness programme across the country tomorrow against recent incidents of mass beating based on a rumour of kidnappings.

The awareness campaign will be organised at every villages and imams of mosques will be asked to engage will their communities about the issue.   

Requesting people not to take law in thir own hands, law enforcers instructed the people to call 999 is such incidents of mob beating takes place and if they see any one suspicious.

Inspector General of Police Dr Mohammad Javed Patwary today at police headquarters announced the weeklong awareness progamme.

Nine people were killed by mobs on suspicion of being child abductors in 26 incidents in different parts of the country in the last two weeks. Many say the recent spate in mob killings started when rumours began circulating about humans being sacrificed for the Padma bridge construction. 

The mob beatings took place in 16 districts, leaving 44 others injured.

Analysing the incidents, it can be seen that most of the victims were either physically or intellectually challenged. Some were beggars.

People who were killed and injured in recent mob beating incidents, are innocent, the IGP said adding that a vested quarter is spreading rumours to create instability in the country.

So far, 103 persons were detained and 31 cases filed in connection to the incidents of mob beating, Javed Patwary said.

Sixty Facebook accounts, 25 YouTube channels and 20 online portals have been closed for spreading rumours in this regard, he said.

The police chief assured that people who took part in the mob beating incidents will be detected and brought to justice. 

According to rights body Ain O Salish Kendra, a total of 39 people were killed in mob beating across the country last year.

But this year such incidents took a sharp rise. From January to June, 36 people had already been killed in such incidents. 

Source: thedailystar