A 45 year old Muslim man identified as Pappu Ansari was allegedly lynched by a mob over suspicion and allegations of stealing cattle in Jharkhand’ Godda district on Wednesday.
Ansari, originally hailing from Ranipur village, which comes under the jurisdiction of Pathargama police station, was coming back to his home from Shyam Bazaar cattle market when the gruesome lynching unfoled. The incident occurred near the Matiyani football ground in the Surabathan area by around 20-25 people late Wednesday night.
“Pappu used to transport cattle by vehicle. He had gone there for cattle trade. He went to the person who was supposed to buy the cattle, but that person neither paid the money nor handed over the goods. Then some villagers arrived and started accusing him of theft, and after that they beat him badly—so badly that they killed him,” Pappu Ansari’s kin told FoEJ Media.
“The attackers used sharp weapons, including an axe, killed him on the spot, and later dumped his body in a nearby field,” he added.
“One Pappu Ansari was brutally thrashed and killed in Godda. His head was crushed. Who is sowing the seeds of such hatred?…He hailed from an extremely poor family…I informed the CM about this. CM took immediate cognisance of this and directed the Chief Secretary to investigate this and take strict action. Ours is a government of good governance. We protect the people… I have demanded an investigation. I have instructed the SP to investigate…” Jharkhand Minister Irfan Ansari said.
Pappu is survived by four daughters and a son; all are juveniles.
According to the FIR lodged by his wife, Ayesha Begam, unidentified persons stopped his vehicle and asked his “name and then assaulted him.”
According to Indian Express reports , the mob first intercepted the vehicle on the pretext of questioning. As the situation escalated, Pappu asked the driver and the others to leave with the vehicle for their safety, Furqan said. While they escaped, Pappu was detained by the mob and beaten.
The investigation is underway, and no arrest has been made yet. “The FIR has been lodged, and an investigation is on. All aspects will be verified. It will take around a week to find out the exact reason behind the incident,” Godda Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar told Indian Express.
