An irate mob in Nalanda on Sunday lynched a school director after charging him with the death of two students soon after villagers found the students’ bodies from a pond adjacent to the school.
The incident took place in the home district of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The two boys, who stayed in the hostel of the local school — DPS Public School (and not Delhi Public School) — had been missing for the past 24 hours. As the news of the recovery of their bodies spread like wildfire, locals gathered at the school and roughed up its principal-cum-director with sticks and bamboos.
Though he pleaded innocence throughout, the irate mob continued to beat him mercilessly.
On getting information, the police arrived on the spot and shifted the grievously injured man to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH). However, he succumbed to his injuries while being rushed there.
Bihar DGP P K Thakur said a DIG-rank officer would probe the matter and submit his report. “We have sought video footage of the incident. We will identify those involved in the thrashing and punish the guilty,” said Nalanda SP Siddhartha Mohan Jain.
According to reports reaching here, the director had beaten the boys for complaining against stale and adulterated food.
“He thrashed the two boys so mercilessly they succumbed to their injuries. Later, their bodies were thrown in the adjacent pond to make it seem like an accident. But the fact is blood was oozing out of one of the boys’ right eye and the left ear of the other student,” said a local.
Sunday’s lynching was not the first instance of mob justice in Bihar. In recent times, they have become more of a rule than the exception.
Some time ago, one Veeru Manjhi, who was charged with the murder of Upendra Manjhi, a resident of the same village as he, was beaten to death by an unruly mob in Jehanabad.
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