Furious lynch mob string a man up by his feet before brutally thrashing him for ‘stealing a mobile phone’ in India
- Footage shows the youth tied up to a tree by his feet in the Uttarakhand state
- He says he was beaten for ‘several hours’ in front of young children and women
- Jufan was accused of stealing a phone but police have rubbished those claims
- Men are seen whipping and beating him across the head while he shrieks
- WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
A furious lynch mob strung up a man by his feet before brutally thrashing him with a length of rope after claiming he stole a mobile phone in India.
Shocking footage shows the men whipping and beating the youth across the head as he dangles from a tree in the city of Haridwar in the Uttarakhand state.
Police declared today the victim, identified only as Jufan, was innocent of theft after he made a complaint against three people.
Jufan told the ANI news agency: ‘I was at work when a group of six to seven people took me away with them. They accused me of stealing a mobile phone and beat me up with lathis (wooden sticks used in traditional martial arts).
One of the men uses a section of the rope Jufan is tied up with to whip him across the back (left) while others crowd around the horrifying scene (right) in India’s Uttarakhand state
‘They hung me up on a tree then beat me for several hours. I sustained injuries on my legs.’
The footage shows young boys watching on as Jufan’s terrified shrieks ring out beside a ramshackle building.
A woman appears to try to remonstrate with some of the mob before being led away.
The police have registered Jufan’s case but are yet to make arrests, Mirror News Now reported.
In June, a young Muslim man died after he was beaten mercilessly for hours after he was accused of theft by villagers in India’s Jharkand state.
One man can be seen holding Jufan by his arms as he flails around, hung up by his feet from a tree
Tabrez Ansari, 22, sits tied to a tree after being captured an beaten for hours by villagers in Jharkand state in June
Tabrez Ansari, 22, died in police custody four days after the ordeal during which locals forced him to recite Hindu incantations for his alleged crime.
Officers at Saraikela police station said Mr Ansari did not accuse the mob of assaulting him when he was in custody, and only learned of it when his family showed them videos.
He was rushed to hospital after telling officers he was feeling unwell but died on arrival.