On April 24, Tuesday, a fast-track court in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district awarded life imprisonment to 10 persons convicted for lynching an innocent person Shamsuddin Ansari (35) in April 2017. The killers alleged him, without any iota of reason, to be a child lifter. The court also imposed Rs. 14,000 fine on each convict. Rs 1.20 lakh from the total fine amount will be given to the victim’s family. This is the second case of conviction in lynching cases, while at least seven other cases of lynching are still pending. Earlier, on March 21, a fast-track court in Ramgarh district had sentenced 11 persons, including one local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, to life imprisonment for lynching a Muslim trader Alimuddin Ansari alias Asghar Ali. Ansari was tracked and killed by self-proclaimed cow vigilante, in a planned way. They alleged Ansari of transporting beef. (Radiance 1-7 April)
In Shamsuddin’s case, the court of Additional Sessions Judge at Tenughat, Ghulam Haider on Tuesday, April 18 held all 10 accused guilty of murder. In the last few years, at least 30 people have been killed, and scores others injured in various incidents of mob beating and lynching by Hindutva hooligans. Almost all targeted persons belonged either to SC/ST or to Muslim minority. In all cases, culprits allegedly belonged to Sangh Parivar affiliates and associates. These two cases are rare in which killers have been convicted, in spite of BJP in power in the state.
Shamsuddin Ansari, a resident of village Mahuda in district Dhanbad, had come to visit his in-laws in village Narra on April 3, 2017. He parked his motorcycle outside the house. After some time, the motorcycle went missing. Shamsuddin was assured by some key villagers that the bike would be recovered by the next day. This was a tactic to trap Shamsuddin so that he may not leave the place and wait for the recovery of his motorcycle. But doom dawned upon unsuspecting Ansari early in the morning when a mob force-entered the house and dragged him out, alleging him a child-lifter. They took him to the nearby Turi Tola village and started beating with sticks. The police team rushed to the spot. As the police tried to rescue Ansari, the mob went berserk and vandalised the police vehicle. After lathi-charge on the mob, the police managed to rescue Ansari. He was taken to Bokaro General Hospital (BGH) from where he was referred to RIMS, Ranchi. After battling for life for four days Ansari succumbed to the injuries on April 8.
The victim’s sister-in-law Naimul Biwi lodged an FIR in local PS. The police identified 11 persons. After collecting clinching evidence a charge-sheet was filed against 10 persons. The prosecution successfully established their guilt in the court. The special court, on April 24 awarded life imprisonment to all 10. The decision against the eleventh is pending, as charge-sheet against him has not yet been filed. “Court awarded life imprisonment to all the 10 accused under Sections 147, 148, 323, 324, 325, 452, 354(b), 302 read with 149 of IPC,” said Mr. Sanjay Kumar Singh, Additional Public Prosecutor.
The convicts who were slapped with life imprisonment include Kishor Dasoundhi, Sagar Turi, Suraj Kumar Burnwal, Manoj Turi, Sonu Turi, Chhotia Koiry, Ram Kumar Koiry, Jitendra Thakur, Jitendra Rajak, and Chandan Dasoundhi.
THE SPAT OF CHILD LIFTER RUMOUR
The killing of Shamsuddin is one of several such cases in a short span of time in the state on the alibi of “child lifter”. It was a design of anti-social elements to target someone by raising sentiments of gullible locals. The rumours of “child lifters” were posted on WhatsApp to spread scare with pictures of dead children and text messages detailing their lifting.
“On May 18, seven men were lynched to death during two disturbing incidents that took place within 20 hours of each other. Both incidents occurred in the Kolhan division of Jharkhand, within a 40-kilometer radius of Jamshedpur city. In each incident, a mob attacked a group of men and brutally beat them to death using sticks, stones, rods, and axes. In both instances, the victims were suspected of being “baccha chor” – child-lifters,” as the Caravan reported. “The first incident took place during the early hours of the morning that day. It originated in Shobhapur village in Seraikela-Kharsawan district. The second occurred in Nagadih village in East Singhbhum district. Four Muslim men were killed in the first incident. Three others – two brothers and their friend – were killed in the second.
On May 18, Sheikh Naim, 35, Sheikh Sajju, 25, Sheikh Halim, 28, and Sheikh Siraj, 26, set off in a car at the night from Haldipokhar, East Singhbhum, for Rajnagar in Seraikela-Kharsawan district to buy cattle. They apparently were to sell the animals at the Saturday weekly market in Haldipokhar.
According to the Police, a mob of over 100 tried to stop their car after it crossed Hessel village a little after midnight, but it sped away. They chased on motorcycles and forced it to a halt in Daru village. The attackers torched the car and got hold of Naim. Other three managed to escape. The mob injured Naim fatally at the spot and left to find out three others. At around 6.30 am, they reached the nearby village of Shobhapur, which has a large Muslim population but none of the three was found there.
On the way Rajnagar OC Tuleswar Khushwaha, with an ASI and a constable, tried to stop them but they assaulted the policemen and torched their jeep. Another police team took Naim from Daru to the Seraikela sub-divisional hospital, where he died. By 1 pm, the mob had traced Sajju and Siraj, who had been given shelter by Sunil Mahto of Shosomauli village, 2 km from Shobhapur, and lynched the duo then and there. They then chased Halim, who was caught and killed while scaling a nearby hill, named Daru Pahadi.
In an unrelated incident on the same day in village Nagadih, three labourers Uttam, Vikas, and Gautam were also lynched, who had ventured out in search of work for next day. They were also held in suspicion of their being child-lifters.
The Gram Panchayat Pradhan of Haldipokhor, Syed Zabiullah, had then blamed the police for inaction. He told the reporters, “We gave pictures and videos of those involved in the killings to the police. They are known faces and we have identified some. This incident will create a divide in the society.” Adding, “Had the police listened to us in time and taken action, this would not have happened.”
Though the police refrained to take against the large crowds of villagers during these incidents, however, upon intervention on some occasions, they also had to face the gangs of lawless Hindutva affiliates. The BJP allies, emboldened by their “Government in the centre and the state” used to take law into their own hands without any fear of police. They also attacked policemen and injured several. Police vehicles were also damaged or set on fire.
Lately, the Sangh Parivar vigilantes have been active in the tribal area of the state that the cattle traders have rerouted their path which is 20 kilometres away. The four who were ambushed, presumably for “child kidnapper” were cattle traders.
After the incident of May 18, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das ordered strict action against lawbreakers, who had clashed with the police and damaged the vehicles. He also announced Rs 2 lakh compensation to the family members of each victim lynched by the villagers in Seraikela-Kharswan and East Singhbhum districts on the suspicion of being child lifters. Das had strongly condemned the incidents and directed the officials to identify the miscreants who spread rumours about child lifters and those taking law into their own hands. Eighteen people were arrested for the brutal lynching of five men in Jamshedpur’s Seraikela-Kharswan district on suspicion of kidnapping children in the region.
Further progress in remaining cases is awaited. However, strict forward action by the police and conviction in two cases has put a break on child lifter rumours and beef selling. Some Muslim organisations have welcomed the conviction in both cases.