In a chilling episode of mob justice, an unidentified man, later found to be mentally ill, was tied to a tree and brutally assaulted by a group of enraged villagers in Ghaziabad’s Dasna early Friday morning.
The assault – captured in a series of photographs by an HT photojournalist – ended only when a police team intervened and rescued the man.
On Friday evening, police arrested three people and filed a first information report (FIR) identifying 15 people, and listing another 10-15 people as unidentified.
The incident took place when a 38-year-old man, a resident of Pahasu in Bulandshahr district, was found walking through Dasna village around 5am, police said. Residents, already on edge due to a recent spate of theft rumours and alleged “drone surveillance” in the area, confronted him.
Police said the man was unable to provide “satisfactory answers” to the mob, prompting suspicion, investigators privy to the case told HT, asking not to be identified. Within minutes, dozens of locals gathered. Tensions escalated quickly.
“He couldn’t give them any answers that made sense,” said the investigator cited above.
An HT photojournalist, stationed about a kilometre away, rushed to the spot after hearing of the incident. When he arrived, he found the man – dressed in black trousers and a black shirt – bound around a tree with his arms stretched out to either side. He was being violently attacked by a mob – around a dozen men were repeatedly slapping, kicking, and striking him with sticks. Despite repeated pleas by bystanders and the photographer, the mob refused to relent.
The photojournalist alerted the police, who reached the site around 20 minutes later and managed to rescue the man and take him away in a white SUV.
“The victim was beaten up and tied to a tree by the locals. After receiving a call, our team from Wave City police station reached the scene and rescued him,” said assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Priyashri Pal at Wave City circle. “He was brought to the station, given first aid, and calmed down. Only then was he able to tell us that he was from Bulandshahr and had unknowingly wandered into Dasna.”
The ACP added that police investigators managed to trace his family, who confirmed that the man had been missing for several days and was mentally ill. “His family told us that he left the house a couple of days ago,” the ACP said.
Police filed an FIR under BNS sections 190 (unlawful assembly), 191(2) (rioting), 127 (wrongful confinement), 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 351 (3) (criminal intimidation) was registered at Masuri police station based on a complaint filed by the victim’s uncle.
“My nephew is mentally not well for past three years. He left home about five months ago, and all our efforts to search for him proved futile. Today, I found out about a video on social media and I identified my nephew in it. He was seen tied to a tree and locals were beating him with sticks,” the victim’s uncle stated in the FIR.
“We registered an FIR and also arrested three persons in this connection. We are trying to trace other suspects as well, and they will also be subjected to legal action,” said Surendra Nathy Tiwary, DCP of rural zone.
The three arrested people were identified as 32-year-old Shahzad, 20-year-old Farman, and and 24-year-old Anas (all identified by police by only single names).
The incident, which unfolded in full public view, highlights the dangers of vigilante action fuelled by fear, rumour, and misinformation.
“This is a clear case of mob lynching,” said a senior police officer. “The fact that the man had a mental illness and posed no threat makes it even more disturbing.”
Officials said the man was being kept under observation, and arrangements were being made to reunite him with his family in Bulandshahr.