In a tragic incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur, a 31-year-old man, identified as Avnish Kumar, jumped to death from a 40-foot-high foot over abridge on Tuesday. As per reports, the man was chased by a mob on suspicion of being involved in child theft.
A purported video of the incident, now going viral, showed the exact moment when the man jumped from the bridge.
Watch the video here:
उत्तर प्रदेश के जिला जौनपुर में मॉब लिंचिंग से बचने के लिए अवनीश कुमार ब्रिज पर चढ़ गया और कूदकर जान दे दी।
गांववालों ने उसे बच्चा चोर कहकर दौड़ा दिया था। भीड़ से बचने को वो एक ओवरब्रिज पर चढ़ गया। 8 घंटे तक ऊपर ही चढ़ा रहा। पुलिस जैसे ही ऊपर चढ़ी, वो नीचे कूद गया। pic.twitter.com/WckidEWoyE
— Sachin Gupta (@SachinGuptaUP) September 10, 2024
Earlier in the day, two men were chased by the villagers in the Line Bazar area. While one of the men was caught, beaten, and handed over to the police, Avnish managed to escape and took refuge atop the overbridge on the Varanasi-Lucknow highway.
For nearly eight hours, he sat in fear, surrounded by a mob standing below.
Despite various efforts by police and fire brigade officials to convince him to come down, the man refused, fearing for his life.
Senior police officers, present at the spot, tried to persuade the man to come down. They also arranged for safety nets and ladders to aid in bringing him down, but a traffic jam forced them to remove the net.
Eventually, Avnish jumped, succumbing to his injuries. He was rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing, with authorities urging the public not to take the law into their own hands.
Local police also noted that Avnish may have had mental health issues, further complicating the already tense situation.
Meanwhile, local authorities have appealed for calm, stating the importance of relying on law enforcement rather than being part of a mob in such a situation.
