A trans woman beaten by a mob of locals in India—her head smashed with stones—died in hospital on Monday (22 July).
The group reportedly lynched the woman, 32, in Nagrakata in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district, in eastern India, reported EastMojo.
According to several local news outlets, the person was attacked due to allegations that she was a ‘child-lifter,’ which often results in mob lynching within the district.
In viral video footage and according to eye-witness accounts seen by Time Now News, locals chased the trans woman to a nearby railway tracks.They grabbed stones and smashed her head while verbally berating her.
Bystanders can be seen, too, recording the incident on their cellphones. While the woman can be seen kneeling on the floor covered in mud and blood, wearing a bright yellow dress. Despite dozens circling around her, no-one gives her medical attention. Police officials were alerted to the incident and arrived at the scene. Medical staff rushed her to the hospital. However, staff pronounced her dead shortly after.
‘We managed to rescue the victim but the person died on the way to the hospital,’ said Debasish Chakraborty, Sub-Divisional Police Officer.
‘No incident of child kidnapping has taken place. These are simply rumours spread by people.’Authorities have arrested six people and further investigation is underway, Chakraborty added.
Rumors of child-lifting, otherwise called kidnapping, has resulted in 69 mob attacks and 33 deaths in 18 months, according to data.An IndiaSpend analysis of news reports from across India showed that there has been a 4.5 times rise in attacks and two-fold rise in deaths across 2017, with figures soaring in 2018.Before 2017, just one incident was reported in 2012.
