20-year-old man lynched in WB: 2 arrested

Malda, July 1: A man who was allegedly beaten by locals for stealing a bike has died, triggering a protest when his body reached here from a Kolkata hospital on Sunday. Two persons have been arrested in connection with the lynching of 20-year-old Sanaul Sheikh, Malda Superintendent of Police Aloke Rajoria said.

Sheikh was assaulted allegedly by some locals at Baishnabnagar Bazar on Wednesday, after he was found stealing the bike, the SP said. A purported video of the attack went viral, on the basis of which some of the culprits could be identified. Sheikh was initially taken to Bedrabad primary health centre, from where he was referred to Malda Medical College and Hospital. He was shifted to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, but Sheikh died on Saturday.

A senior functionary of Malda Zilla Parisad, Chandana Sarkar said, no communal angle should be given to the incident. Describing the incident as "unfortunate", she said, "The person was a history-sheeter and had earlier been arrested on charges of theft. "His wife met me today and we are trying to help the family on humanitarian grounds."

Following a written complaint by his mother, the police have started a case under several sections of the IPC, the SP said. When the people were proceeding towards Baishnabnagar police station after staging a blockade on NH-34 on Sunday, the police requested Congress MLA of the adjoining assembly segment of Sujapur, Suja Khan Choudhury, and other party leaders to pacify the mob, the MLA said.

"We managed to convince the mob not to proceed further and take the body back home for religious rites and burial," he said.