Citizens of a community in Chiapas were unhappy about the mayor’s allegedly unkept promises, and made sure he was aware of it: they tied him up and dragged him through the streets with a pickup truck.
Residents of the indigenous Tojolabal community of Santa Rita Invernadero in the municipality of Las Margaritas kidnapped Mayor Jorge Luis Escandón Hernández’ from the municipal palace on Tuesday. They claim that he had failed to fulfill a campaign promise.
Dozens of campesinos arrived at the palace to complain about the failure to build a road to Santa Rita, which they say the mayor had promised during the campaign. The angry protesters, armed with sticks, clashed with municipal employees, whom they eventually overpowered.
They dragged the mayor out of the building, tied him by the hands with a rope attached to the back of a pickup truck and dragged him for several blocks before he was rescued by state police.
Mayor Escandón suffered scrapes and blunt trauma, while several municipal employees were kidnapped and taken away by the protesters.
State police arrested 11 people in connection with the incident.
In a press conference a few hours after the event, the mayor said those arrested will be charged with kidnapping and attempted kidnapping.
It’s the second time since July that Chiapas citizens have attempted to hold a mayor to account. In July, residents of the municipality of Huixtán dressed their mayor up as a woman.
Source: Animal Político (sp), Infobae (sp)
