SILIGURI: Two persons were lynched by villagers on suspicion of cattle-smuggling in the Tara Bari-Dhemal area on the outskirts of Siliguri early on Saturday. Several others were injured, while a pickup van was set on fire and another vehicle was vandalised.The deceased have been identified as Sahid (Sayed) Akhtar, a resident of Sonapur under Chopra PS, and Sad (Sajad) Mohammad, a resident of Haryana. Police detained three persons—Amir Sattar, Akram Khan and Arif Khan, all residents of Haryana—and admitted them to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital for treatment.The incident took place around 2.30 am, when a group arrived in Tara Bari by a four-wheeler and a pickup van to allegedly steal cattle. Residents, who claimed there had been a series of cattle thefts, raised an alarm.A large number of villagers gathered and surrounded the group. “Villagers caught the group, whom they suspected to be cattle-smugglers, assaulted them and chased them to Dhemal, where they again severely beat them up. As tensions escalated, the mob set the pickup van on fire and vandalised the other vehicle,” said Birendra Roy, a resident.Police said one person died on the spot and the other at a hospital. Teams from Matigara and Bagdogra police stations, along with Panighata outpost cops, arrived at the spot and rescued the injured.“Police are examining the allegations of cattle theft and the mob assault, deaths and vandalism. Involvement of some people from Islampur is suspected,” ACP Anirban Majumdar said.He said a search operation was underway to trace others who fled during the violence and to establish the source and wider network of the alleged interstate cattle-smuggling racket.
