A mob in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district held policemen hostage and then beat them up two missing boys were found dead in a ditch, PTI reported. Three policemen were injured in the attack and had to be hospitalised, unidentified officials said.

In a video of the attack on social media, a mob was seen thrashing a policeman with bamboo sticks. The policeman, with a bloodied nose, was seen trying to run away even as the mob chased him.

The mob had gathered outside the Aurai police station in Muzaffarnagar district on Saturday after the bodies were found. They claimed that the boys were beaten to death. However, the police called it a case of drowning.

Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar said the policemen were attacked when they went to take possession of the bodies, The Hindu reported. The remaining police personnel resorted to firing in the air to disperse the mob. Kumar said additional police forces had to be deployed to control the situation.

There have been a number of mob attacks on individuals in the recent past. Last week, a video of a Kashmiri youth being thrashed in Rajasthan’s Alwar district went viral. The youth, identified as Mir Faiz, was allegedly tied to a pole and beaten up by a mob for being dressed in women’s clothes.

Last month, a pregnant woman who was hearing and speech impaired was beaten by a mob in Northeast Delhi after being suspected of being a child-lifter. The police arrested five people in connection with the incident.

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