Social media rumours case: 14 held in Hyderabad for lynching of transgender

Hyderabad: Fourteen persons, including a juvenile, were arrested by city police for allegedly lynching a transgender at Chandrayangutta four days ago. Three others transgenders were injured in the attack.

The incident was a result of rumours of child lifters moving around the city. The mob suspected the four persons to be child lifters after a video of group of transsexual being chased and caught by the locals in Sangareddy district a few days ago circulated widely on social media.

Deputy commissioner of police, V. Satyanarayana said that on Saturday at around 11 pm, transgenders Ravi and Narsimha came to Azeem hotel seeking alms, when three persons Hussain, Mukarram and Rafiq spotted them. “The trio took out their mobile phone and watched a video clip circulated in social media. Rafiq, then approached Ravi and Narsimha and showed them the video circulating on social media about childlifters. When they tried to flee the hotel, Rafiq and Hussain chased and attacked them,’’ said the official.

A little later, Ravi and Narsimha informed it to their colleagues Chandriah and Swamy, who were in the neighbourhood. "As the four persons tried to escape from the area, a mob chased them and attacked them resulting in grievous injuries to Chandriah and Swamy. Both were shifted to the OGH where Chandraiah died.

A team of the commissioner’s pask force and Falaknuma division police identified the youths who were part of the mob and nabbed them. The police also arrested four other persons who were allegedly involved in attacking another group of transgenders at Madannapet the same night.

Mosques to dispel kidnapping rumours

The anti-rumour campaign of the city police has now reached mosques across the city. The police are now roping in the imams, muezzins and the managing committees of the mosques to carry out awareness campaigns every day.
Rumours of child lifting gangs on the prowl are giving sleepless nights to the citizens and the police, with three persons being killed on suspicion across the state. The police registered cases against 50 persons in connection with the killings.

“A massive awareness campaign is being taken up in all the mosques in the city with the help of the masjid committees. The Imams and Mue-zzins have been asked to create awareness among the public about such rumours. Community elders are also being roped in for the campaign.” said DCP (south) V Satyanarayana.

“It being the month of Ramzan, huge attendance is witnessed at the mosques, mostly during the prayer time. Our officers are also visiting the mosques, .” said the official.