BIDAR: In a signification breakthrough, the administrator of a local WhatsApp group – Mother Murki – Manoj Biradar and Amaresh Patil were taken into custody for spreading fake news about alleged child lifters which resulted in the gory lynching incident at Murki village in Kalamangar taluk here, claiming the life of a techie from Hyderabad, Mohammed Azam, and leaving four others grievously wounded by a frenzied mob, last week.
According to police sources, Mr Manoj, a civil engineer, launched the WhatsApp group, Mother Murki, in February 2016 before elections to taluk and zilla panchayats with a view to garner support for the party as well as candidates with whom he was associated with. Apart from politicians, contractors, media persons and others numbering around 200 were added on as members of the group. Besides information related to election, jokes and video clippings of assorted subjects were shared on the group. On noticing that excessive importance was given for political messages in the group, some persons exited it, bringing down the number to 180 six months ago.
On July 13 when Azam and four others including local youth Mohammed Afroz had gone to a spot near Handhikera tanda where a check-dam has been built, a fracas ensued between these persons and some local people after the former tried to give chocolates to school boys and girls. This incident was recorded on a mobile by some youth from the nearby Bhatkula thanda. One of the youth who recorded it sent it to the personal number of Amar Patil along with a message that child lifters had tried to kidnap school going children from Handhikera and Bhatkula thanda and were heading towards Murki village in a red SUV. The video message spread like a wildfire after Amar Patil forwarded it to the WhatsApp group “Mother Murki”.
Mr Vijaykumar, who is Manoj’s father, claimed that his son was not aware of the lynching incident till he was arrested by local police in the early hours of July 14. “When the lynching incident took place at Murki village, Mr Manoj was not in the village. After attending the ceremony on July 12 in Bengaluru in which newly appointed KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre, who hailed from this place, took charge along with KPCC chief Dinesh Gundurao, Mr Manoj returned to his Bidar home around midnight of July 13. On the next day morning around 6.30 AM he was taken into custody by the police. Till he was arrested by the police Mr Manoj was not aware of the Murki incident,” Mr Vijaykumar added.
