False rumours of childlifting in Jharkhand have led to violent assaults, prompting authorities to launch an awareness campaign and urge residents to report suspicions to the police.
Key Points
- Two people were allegedly assaulted in Deoghar and Koderma, Jharkhand, due to false rumours of child abduction.
- In Deoghar, a man was rescued by police after being held by villagers who suspected him of abducting a child.
- In Koderma, a mentally challenged man was allegedly assaulted by villagers based on similar suspicions.
- The Jamtara district administration has launched an awareness campaign to combat childlifting rumours and prevent vigilante violence.
- Authorities urge residents to report suspicions to the police instead of taking the law into their own hands.
Two persons were allegedly assaulted in Jharkhand's Deoghar and Koderma districts on Monday, after rumours spread among locals suspecting them to be childlifters, police said.
In Deoghar district, an unidentified 35-year-old man was reportedly held by a group of people from Sura village under Patharadda outpost while he was taking a boy in an auto, a senior police official said.
Sarath SDPO Ranjit Lakra told PTI that the man has been rescued from the clutches of the locals and taken to a hospital for treatment.
The victim appears to belong to some place outside the area, while the child who was allegedly being taken along with him was from the same village.
A proper inquiry will be conducted and an FIR lodged once the victim's condition stabilises, as he has not yet disclosed his name or other details, he said.
Assaults in Koderma
In Koderma district, a mentally challenged person was allegedly assaulted by a group of people from Moriyawan village under Tilaiya police station area.
Police later rescued the man and sent him to a hospital.
Tilaiya OC Vinay Kumar said, "As soon as we received the information, we reached the spot and rescued the man. The victim is mentally unstable, and so far we have found that he hails from Naresh Nagar."
Awareness Campaign Launched
Meanwhile, the Jamtara district administration on Monday flagged-off an 'awareness chariot' to curb rumours regarding childlifting.
The chariot was flagged-off by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ravi Anand and SP Rajkumar Mehta during a programme.
"This initiative aims to curb the rumours spreading in the district regarding childlifting, and make residents aware not to take the law into their own hands," the DC said.
"If they suspect anybody of being a childlifter, they should promptly inform the nearest police station or dial 112 to give information," the SP added.
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