A 33-year-old man engaged by the Tripura government to dispel rumours about child-lifters on social media was lynched by villagers, who, ironically, took him to be a kidnapper. The lynching at Kalacherra Bazaar in South Tripura district late on Thursday night came hours after a garment seller was beaten to death by villagers in Mohanpur in West Tripura district for similar reasons.

Sukanta Chakrabarty, who had been moving from village to village with a loudspeaker asking people not to get swayed by rumours, was caught and beaten to death. Two other men who were accompanying Chakrabarty were also assaulted. The vehicle they were travelling in was also damaged.

AFP/Representational Image