Jharkhand: Two Men Brutally Beaten To Death Over Alleged Cattle Theft

It has just been a week since the horrific Assam mob lynching and a new case of a mob taking laws in hand to deliver justice has come into light from Jharkhand.

Two Muslim men Sirabuddin Ansari (35) and Murtaza Ansari (30) were lynched by an enraged mob on suspicion of stealing cattle in Jharkhand’s Godda district on Wednesday morning. The residents of Dullu village accused the two of stealing buffaloes from Munshi Murmu on Tuesday night.

The victims who were allegedly part of a five-member gang stole 13 buffaloes from Munshi Murmu’s house. Upon finding the cattle to be missing, Munshi Murmu and along with others chased the group of five men, who were finally caught with the cattle in an adjoining village named Bankati.

Even though three among the five managed to flee the scene, both Sirabuddin and Murtaza were thrashed brutally. A video of the mob’s attacks has also surfaced on social media which shows the extent of brutality that was inflicted upon the duo.

Murmu along with three others identified as Kaleshwar Soren, Kishan Tudu, and Harjohan Kisku have been arrested in this connection. Additionally, adequate police forces have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order situation.

The SP also said that two FIRs had been lodged, one for the mob lynching and the other for cattle theft which was registered by the villagers. He added that this was a simple case of theft.

The Logical Indian Take

This is one of another incident of lynching that is coming from Jharkhand where people have taken laws into their hand in pursuit of ‘justice.’

This incident comes only three months after a trial court in Jharkhand convicted all the 11 persons responsible for the lynching of Alimuddin last year in June.

On 18 May 2017, Jharkhand was struck by two separate lynchings in less than 24 hours. The acts of violence killed seven people and injured at least six others. The lynchings stemmed from a spate of WhatsApp rumours over alleged “child abductors” who had infiltrated the area. Hundreds of tribals in Jharkhand’s southern districts lynched and injured several suspected strangers over WhatsApp rumours.

We need stringent punishments against those who resort to such acts of violence. To uphold the safety of citizens, law and order need to be established. In the meanwhile, people from all strata of life need to be educated and made aware of the evils of mob lynching.