Eight people have been killed in lynching attacks in Bangladesh after rumours spread on social media that children were being kidnapped and sacrificed as offerings for the construction of a mega-bridge, said the police on Wednesday.
Among the victims were two women who were attacked by the rabble over the rumours, spread on Facebook, that said human heads were required for the massive US$3 billion project, said Javed Patwary, police chief.
“We have analyzed every single case of these eight killings. Those who were killed by lynching mobs – no one was a child kidnapper.”
The rumour is affecting the whole country, and as a result more than 30 other people have been attacked.
Taslima Begum lost her life outside a school in Dhaka by the angry mob who thought that Taslima was involved in the kidnapping.
On the same day, a deaf man was also killed by the vigilantes who went to visit his daughter.
All these deaths have been led by the rumours. Reportedly eight people have been arrested over Begum’s murder, and AFP has identified some of the people who have shared the rumours on Facebook.
An order has been given to crack down on rumours, and at least 25 YouTube channels, 60 Facebook pages and 10 websites have been shut down.
Though mob lynchings have been a common affair in Bangladesh, these recent incidents are brutal and sparked concerns of growing lawlessness across the country.
The Padma bridge is going to be Bangladesh’s biggest bridge, over a major tributary of the Ganges.
“We are building awareness about the rumour and ask people not to get panicked,” said a police chief in the north-western Chapainawabganj district.
Some 6.1 million Ansar paramilitary security forces and village guards have also been asked to warn villagers.
“The lynchings could be a sign of people’s distrust in the existing law and order system,”said Monirul Islam, Dhaka University sociology professor.
> Puza Sarker Snigdha
8 People Lynched over False Rumours of Child Sacrifices in Bangladesh
