Rumours led to mob violence at Adokgre police camp

TURA: Wednesday’s incident outside the Adokgre police camp in North Garo Hills wherein an angry mob had pelted stones on police and demanded that three arrested men be handed over to them for street justice forcing police to fire in the air to disperse them is believed to have been fueled by rumours which claimed the trio were part of a kidnappers gang involved in the recent abduction of a trader.
The irate mob had surrounded the police anti-dacoity camp at Adokgre, near Kharkutta, and wanted police to hand over three men taken into custody on the same day. The three petty criminals, who hailed from Mangsang area of East Garo Hills close to the border with West Khasi Hills, had been caught by villagers and handed over to the police on suspicion that they may have been part of the kidnappers gang involved in the abduction of Adokgre trader Batchu Jain.
Police sources confirm that the three men are petty criminals but there has been no indication of their involvement in the abduction of Jain.
A senior police official revealed that the villagers were taking part in a public meeting in Adokgre when news was spread that three kidnappers had been arrested and taken into Adokgre police AD camp.
The agitated villagers descended on the police camp and demanded the handing over of the trio. It was only after police fired in the air that they were able to disperse a section of the mob engaged in stone pelting and bring the situation under control.
Later, district police chief Raghavendra Kumar, who rushed to the site later held a meeting with the village elders and briefed them about the police actions taking place to try and rescue the abducted trader. He also cautioned them against taking the law into their own hands.