Two Men Beaten to Death by Mob in Rangpur's Gangachara Over Alleged Auto-Rickshaw Theft

Two men were beaten to death by local people in Gangachara, Rangpur, on allegations of stealing an auto-rickshaw and fleeing. They died at the scene. The incident took place at around 5:30am on Sunday by the large irrigation canal at Uttar Panapukur Giriarpara in Barabil union of the sub-district.

The dead were identified as Rezaul, also known as Kana (42), from Bagdahara in Nohali union, and Sadikul Islam (32), from Kolkond union. Local people accused them of stealing the auto-rickshaw.

The stolen auto-rickshaw belonged to Siddiqur Rahman Sohel, a resident of Bagpur Dakshinpara in Barabil union and son of former UP member Matin Mia of that union.

At the scene, the two bloodied bodies were seen lying by the large irrigation canal at Uttar Panapukur Giriarpara, with local people gathered around them. Police went to the spot and were conducting an inquest on the bodies.

According to eyewitnesses and local residents, worshippers were offering Fajr prayers at the mosque in front of Sohel's house at dawn. At that time Sohel shouted that his auto-rickshaw was being stolen. Several worshippers left the prayers and chased the men on suspicion of theft. When they could not catch them, an announcement about the theft was made over the mosque's microphone.

Local people then chased them from different directions. They claimed the two men left the auto-rickshaw about half a kilometre from the scene and tried to flee through paddy fields. After running about a kilometre, they were surrounded from all sides, and both died at the scene from the beating.

Owner Siddiqur Rahman Sohel said he had brought two sacks of cement at night for casting a bathroom floor, and they were in the auto-rickshaw. He got up around 4am to put the vehicle on charge, then went back to sleep.

Sohel said a little later his young daughter woke up crying and he was holding her to sleep. Meanwhile the thieves cut the lock of the auto-rickshaw shed and entered. They first struck his house door twice. Then his wife said, you are sleeping while our auto-rickshaw is being taken away.

He said he jumped from bed, went out through the veranda and pulled at the back of the auto-rickshaw. They tried to drag the vehicle away with him holding on. He then let go and began shouting. People from the mosque came out and found him fallen on the ground, with skin scraped off his knee. An announcement was then made over the mosque microphone that thieves were fleeing north with the auto-rickshaw and asking people to stop them. He later heard that two men had died in a beating near the canal, about a kilometre from his house.

Gangachara Model Police Station officer-in-charge Abdus Sabur said police reached the scene immediately after receiving the news. The bodies were later brought to the police station after the inquest.

Deaths by mob beating have again raised the question of taking the law into one's own hands. Whatever the allegation, beating suspects to death instead of handing them to police is a serious crime, and local attention will now be on what legal process follows against those involved.