SHO, another cop suspended
An special investigation team (SIT) was formed in Jamshedpur on Monday to probe the lynching of a 24-year-old man who was thrashed by a mob for alleged theft and seen in a purported video being forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram” and “Jai Hanuman” in. Police arrested four more accused on Monday.
Two policemen — the officers incharge of the local police station and police outpost — have been suspended for not filing a lynching case on June 18. Sub inspector Chandramohan Oraon and assistant sub inspector Bipin Bihari Singh “have been suspended for not reporting the seriousness of the issue on June 18 to higher authorities properly and register a case of lynching the very same day,” the district police chief said in a statement.
The victim, Tabrez Ansari, a resident of Kharsawan — who was allegedly caught after stealing a motorcycle, a purse, a voter I-card and mobile phone from Dhatkidih along with two of his associates — succumbed to his injuries in hospital on Saturday.
He was declared “brought dead” by doctors at the Tata Main Hospital in Jamshedpur on June 22, said police.
Seraikela-Kharsawan Superintendent of Police (SP) Karthik S said on June 17, Ansari and two others had entered a house in Seraikela village at night allegedly with an intention to commit theft.
However, the occupants of the house woke up and raised an alarm, following which villagers caught hold of Ansari and “manhandled” him, while his accomplices managed to flee, the SP told reporters.
“We are investigating the incident. We have, so far, arrested five persons in this connection but have, at the same time, set up a high-level team to probe the entire matter meticulously,” said Karthik.
Ansari was found to be in possession of valuables, which he and his associates had allegedly stolen from other villages, the officer said.
Police reached the spot in the morning and took Ansari to jail on the basis of a complaint from villagers, after administering first aid to him.
However, when his condition deteriorated in jail on the same day, he was taken to the Sadar Hospital, where he was diagnosed with multiple injuries, the SP said.
Ansari was subsequently referred to the Tata Main Hospital in Jamshedpur.
However, locals of Dhatkidih village came out with a different version. “As per our understanding, Ansari died at the hospital four days after he was thrashed up by the villagers. During the probe, it was found that Ansari and two of his associates, Noomar Ali (19) and Seikh Irfan (18) had first committed a theft at the house of Rajesh Pramanik at Mahalimurup and Fulchand Pradhan at Murup villages, before committing theft at Sagar Pradhan, also in Murup,” said locals.
After theft at the three houses, the trio had climbed on the roof top of Bishnu Pradhan’s house at Dhatkidih, but incidentally as Pradhan’s son was awake on the roof top, he raised an alarm, leading the three to flee, they said.
While Noomar and Irfan managed to escape by jumping down the building, Ansari sustained grievous injury in his left ankle in course of the jump.
While the people were searching for the thieves here and there, Ansari kept on hiding in the bush and could be traced only by two women who had gone there to respond nature’s call at about 1 am. It was after the women found Ansari there that they raised an alarm and villagers turned up and caught him.
