Jharkhand High Court seeks report on Tabrez Ansari lynching case

The Jharkhand High Court has sought a report from the state government on the Tabrez Ansari lynching case and the subsequent mob violence.

Tabrez Ansari was brutally thrashed to death on June 17 in Dhatkidih village in Saraikela-Kharsawan district when he was returning home. The lynch mob had allegedly accused Ansari of theft. He was also reportedly forced to chant Jai Shri Ram and Jai Hanuman.

Tabrez Ansari succumbed to his injuries on June 22.

Hearing a PIL filed by one Pankaj Yadav demanding a high-level inquiry into the incident, the division bench of Justices HC Mishra and Deepak Roshan asked the state government to submit an action-taken report on July 17.

The Tabrez Ansari lynching issue had rocked Parliament and placed the spotlight on the law and order situation in Jharkhand. The incident took a political colour also as the government drew flak for its laid-back attitude.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself admitted in Parliament that the incident was unfortunate but the entire state should not be blamed for that. The Opposition had alleged that in the past two years 18 people were killed in similar fashion and the government remained a mute spectator.

The high court has also asked whether the crowd protesting Tabrez Ansari's lynching had sought permission from the administration to take out a rally on July 5.

Last Friday after the weekly namaz a section of crowd had taken out a rally from Ekra Masjid to Rajendra Chowk in Ranchi. After the rally, a few miscreants resorted to violence near Ratan Talkies.

A youth was allegedly stabbed by a knife. The protesters also beat up a few people and windscreens of buses were smashed.

Police have arrested 11 people in connection with the Tabrez Ansari lynching case in Saraikela-Kharsawan. Following the July 5 mob violence, an FIR has been registered against 22 miscreants including Congress leader Shamsher Alam, student leader S Ali and cleric Maulana Kazmi.