Hyderabad: An unprecedented wave of xenophobia caused due to fake videos and other messages on social media gripped Hyderabad city last night as a transgender was killed in an attack on four beggars in the old city of Hyderabad.
Similar incidents were also reported from other parts of the city as groups of people alarmed by fake stories and videos of abduction and murder of children circulating on social media, turned on the beggars.
Deputy commissioner of police S Satyanarayana said a group of people attacked the four transgender-beggars in Chandrayangutta area around 1230am. They were brutally beaten up and stoned by the mob leading to the death of one of them while three others were admitted to hospital, one of them in critical condition.
He said police reached the spot within five minutes. “If the police had not reached all of them could have died”, he told the media. The victim was identified as transgender Chandraiah from Dearkadra in Mahbubnagar district.
Sometime later, at around 2am another group attacked three more beggars and injured them. Minor incidents of attacks were also reported from the limits of Hussaini Alam, Madannpet and Kachiguda police stations keeping the police on their toes.
This is the latest in a series of mob-lynchings in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh that has claimed four lives and led to injuries to ten others.
The latest incident came even after police officials strongly denied the presence of any interstate gang of kidnappers and child-lifters in the state. Warning people against taking the law into their hands, the police had stepped up patrolling all over the state.
As news of the attacks spread, the area corporator of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Ahmad Bin Abdat rushed to the spot and tried to save the beggars. He and the Santosh Nagar police inspector were injured in the stone pelting. The police had a hard time controlling the fury of the mob.
Police have booked two cases of murder and attempt to murder in connection with the attacks on the beggars as well as injuring two policemen and others. “26 people were arrested in connection with the incidents and we are looking for some more people”, Satyanarayana told the media on Sunday.
“We have got some video footage of the incident including footage from CCTVs in the area. After identifying the culprits we will arrest them”, the Deputy Commissioner said.
DCP Satyanrayana said videos of ghastly murders by unknown people were not from India but from other countries and some people were circulating them on social media to create fear among people. “These are fake videos and we have made it clear that no gang was on the prowl anywhere in the state”, he said.
He said those found responsible for spreading such videos and messages will be booked for murder if their actions result in attacks and deaths.
Meanwhile police also arrested two youth from Pahadishareef area of Hyderabad for sharing fake videos and audios about the kidnapper gangs on WhatsApp. The two were identified as Mohammad Ashfaq and Syed Rahim. The video had gory scenes of dead bodies and injured people claiming they were victims of the gangs.
Area MLA Syed Ahmad Pasha Quadri visited the spot of the incident and urged the people to maintain peace. “There is no truth in the rumours about kidnapping of children. Not a single incident has been reported. The people should not believe in such rumours and respect the sanctity of the month of Ramadan”, he said.
In a statement the Hyderabad city police have urged people not to share any social media posts regarding interstate gangs entering Telugu states to rob and kill. “State and district police officials have declared it as fake”, it said.
