RANCHI: In yet another case of lynching in Jharkhand, a 20-year-old was beaten by the villagers in Ranchi allegedly on suspicion of theft on Friday, who later succumbed to his injuries on Saturday.
According to police, the victim, identified as Wajid Ansari was first tied by electric police and then thrashed by the villagers brutally.
Later, he was taken to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Though the incident took place on Friday, the matter came to light on Saturday after the death of the victim. Wajid Ansari, a painter from Pandri village of Chanho block, was beaten to death after he entered the house of Jeevan Oraon in the nearby Mahuatoli village on Friday.
Taking swift action, the police have arrested three persons in this connection.
“Wajid Ansari had allegedly barged into a house in Mahuatoli along with some other persons with an intention of theft early in the morning on Friday. But, the house owner somehow got up and raised an alarm. The villagers assembled near his house and caught hold of Wajid Ansari, while his other friends succeeded to escape,” said SP (Rural) Naushad Alam. The villagers then tied Ansari with a pole and thrashed him badly, he added.
“After getting information about the incident, police rushed to the spot and rescued Ansari from there and admitted him to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, where he died during treatment on Saturday,” said the DSP.
Three people have been arrested in the case so far, while a hunt is still on for others involved in the crime, he added. The three arrested persons include Jeevan Oraon, his son Govardhan Oraon and their neighbour Nandu Oraon.
Two FIRs have been lodged in the case at Chanho Police Station — one for the killing of Ansari and another one for attempted theft (against Ansari and others).
“The family members have claimed that Ansari had gone there to get marihuana from the shop,” said the Rural SP. Police are conducting an investigation taking all aspects into consideration, he added.
Locals informed that nearly 25 people tied Ansari with a pole and thrashed him badly at around 6 am on Friday. By the time, Ansari’s family members reached there, he had gone unconscious.
Later, police were informed that rescued Wajid Ansari took him along with them and admitted him to the hospital from where he was referred to RIMS, they said. Ansari’s father, Hafizul Rehman Ansari said that he came to know about the incident through a vegetable vendor.
“They killed my son deliberately in the name of theft due to personal rivalry,” alleged the victim’s father. He also claimed that Ansari had no criminal past and was associated with the National Human Rights and Crime Control Bureau (NHRCCB), a non-profit human rights group based in New Delhi.
