Guwahati:
The Mizoram police on Wednesday said seven people have been arrested for allegedly beating a man to death last week near Aizawl over allegations of stealing money.
The accused were part of a village defence party (VDP) in Tuirial Airfield area, around 18 km east of Aizawl. The victim’s mother, Nunthangmawii, has alleged that the VDP members took her son, David Lalmuanpuia, from their home around 8 pm after receiving a complaint from the pastor, who claimed that Rs 26,000 had been stolen from his quarters while he was at church on December 18.
The victim, a daily wage labourer, and his friend Lalduhsaka, said the police, were detained by the local vigilantes on suspicion of stealing money from a pastor’s quarters.
David’s death has sparked public outrage, with many demanding stringent punishment for those involved and blaming the pastor for allegedly failing to respond to Nunthangmawii’s plea.
The victim’s mother alleged that the vigilantes interrogated her son for several hours and beat him mercilessly, leading to his death. Despite pleading for mercy and even approaching the pastor to intervene, Nunthangmawii claimed that no one listened to her.
“They were brutally beating my son with a water pipe. Even when I begged the VDPs to stop, they did not listen to us,” Nunthangmawii said.
“We had even gone to the pastor to ask for his forgiveness, but he did not comply. The pastor told us that he had reported his son and the friend to the VDP and that whatever action they are taking is out of his hands,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Centre for Environment and Social Justice (CESJ) has demanded that the Mizoram Police Act, 2011, under which the Village Defence Party (VDP) was formed, be amended to prevent community policing outside the boundaries of the law.
