Saraikela Kharsawan police have dropped the murder charges against all the 11 accused in the mob lynching case of 24-year-old Tabrez Ansari. The State police have submitted a chargesheet in the court and recommended commencement of trial in the case under section 304 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) (which is culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and not under section 302.
Saraikela Kharsawan Superintendent of Police Karthik S. said, “Based on evidences the investigating officer found that in the death of Tabrez the cause of death was not due to direct injuries amounting to murder. The post-mortem and medical report did not support the charge of murder.
The victim died due to cardiac arrest.” “After the initial report the police had doubts and the investigating officer went for second opinion from higher-level experts from forensic and pathological side and they also gave the same set of opinion. So, we had to charge them under Section 304 instead of 302," the SP added.
The chargesheet was filled by the police on the basis of the final autopsy report, which indicated cardiac arrest as the reason for Tabrez’s death.
However, the SP claimed that though the accused have been charged under section 304 of IPC, the punishment under the section is serious and will not weaken the case. Tabrez Ansari, who worked as a labourer and welder in Pune had come to his home town for celebrating Eid. While returning home he was captured by locals at Dhatkidih village in Jharkhand on June 17. The locals had captured him on charges on bike theft.
Tabrez’s hands and feet were tied with rope and he was beaten up. The locals even forced him to chant “Jai Sri Ram and Jai Hanuman”.
The local police when came to know about the incident reached the spot and rescued Tabrez. Police took Tabrez Ansari to the Sadar
Hospital for primary medical aid before taking him in judicial custody. His condition deteriorated and he died on June 22.
A video of the heinous incident went viral and in no time, caught the attention of the entire country. Protests had taken place in many cities and towns against his lynching.
The opposition has termed dropping of murder charge against accused as shocking. A senior JMM leader requesting anonymity said, “As the matter is sub-judice it is court to decide what charges has to framed in the case.”
