GUWAHATI (Web Desk) – Indian police arrested 21 people since Saturday night in connection with the lynching of rape accused Syed Farid Khan in Dimapur town of Nagaland state on Thursday.
The state government also approached internet and mobile service providers to jam network for 48 hours in order to check hate-mongering through social media and text messaging.
“We scanned the people through video footage and uploaded photographs taken between storming of Dimapur central jail and the display of Khan’s body. For the time being, we have arrested 21 people who we found out were the ringleaders,” a police officer said, according to Hindustan Times.
More arrests were expected, he said, adding a few non-Nagas were also in the mob.
Nagaland police have maintained an air of suspense over the medical reports to ascertain if Khan was guilty of raping a college student. On Saturday, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi had quoted unconfirmed reports to assert the girl was not raped.
A district administration official said the government had Saturday evening asked the department of telecommunication to block SMS services and restrict internet usage for 48 hours. “Mobile and internet connectivity has since been very erratic and it has become almost impossible to view social media sites,” W Newmai, editor of Dimapur-based daily Eastern Mirror, said.
The district administration also imposed total curfew from 3:00 pm to midnight on Sunday with section 144 of CrPC to restrict movement of people in groups in force from midnight onwards.
Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang had Saturday blamed social network sites for fanning communal hatred leading to the “horrific lynching” that undermined traditional Naga values. “We will deal with the perpetrators firmly,” he said.
While the Nagaland police cracked down on the lynch mob, Khan’s body was laid to rest at his native Bosla village in south Assam’s Karimganj district around 10 am on Sunday. The body had been flown in an Indian Air Force chopper from Dimapur to Karimganj town Saturday afternoon.
“The burial happened amid a shutdown across Barak Valley (comprising three districts including Karimganj). So we had our officials and police at the village for law and order duty,” Sanjib Gohain Baruah, Karimganj deputy commissioner, said.
Leaders of various political parties in the district, including local MLA Siddeque Ahmed, were present during the burial.
Farid’s younger brother Suberuddin, who left Dimapur after his arrest, said the girl and her accomplices had framed Farid alias Sarifuddin for refusing to pay Rs 2 lakh they had demanded from him. The girl, Suberiddun added, was known to Farid’s wife, a local Naga tribal.
The Muslim Council of Dimapur (MCD) said some 1,000 Bengali Muslim families with more than 4,000 members have left Nagaland following Farid Khan’s lynching. But it asserted none of them were harassed or targeted by communal elements.
“It is natural for these families, most of them daily wagers, to panic after such an incident. But there has been no intimidation and there is no hate campaign against Muslims,” MCD working president Abidur Rahman said.
“We appeal to people living in Nagaland and across the country not to believe or spread any rumours harassment of Muslim citizens and attacks on religious institutions. It is but natural for people to be scared and flee after such a major incident, but we are talking to them to stay back. We hope they will return soon,” a statement issued by the MCD said.
