Jharkhand lynching: Siasat’s fact-finding team reveals terrible situation in the village

RANCHI: Siasat’s fact-finding team led by its correspondent and human right activists Tanweer Ahmad exposes shocking situation in the village where four Muslim cattle traders were lynched to death by a mob in Jharkhand, late on Thursday night.

After Jummah prayers, Muslims from Ranchi and near-by village gathered at Haldi Pokhar village for a meeting regarding the lynching of the four innocent Muslim youths who were beaten to death in front of the police.

The situation is still tense in the Haldi Pokhar village which comes under Qawwali police station, about 22 km from Jamshedpur whereas, the lynching incident happened in Shobhapur village which only 20 km from the State’s Chief Minister’s area.

The fourth person Sheikh Halim (28), who was initially reported missing was yesterday found dead in a very bad condition. The culprits after killing Halim, burned his body mercilessly.

The people were angry and the fact is that despite constantly insisting the police to launch a search operation for finding Halim, the appeal falls on deaf ears.

The relatives of the deceased youths have refused to accept the dead body and demanded compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job to any of the family members from the Jharkhand government.

The village head, Syed Zabiullah said, “There was a people’s meeting in the village yesterday and today and it was decided in the meeting that unless the government gives compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the relatives of the deceased and a government job to any of the family members, and before long if the administration does not arrest the culprits, we will continue our opposition.”

The people of the village said that they offered the Jummah prayer by wearing a black badge.

The female members of the village assembled together for Quran recitation and prayed for safeguard of community inhabiting in the village.

Meanwhile, East Singhbhum deputy development commissioner (DDC) Suraj Kumar and  SP (rural) Shailendra Barnwal have to face sharp opposition in Haldi Pokhar.

As soon as they tried to convince the villagers, the crowd started protesting. The relatives of the deceased refused to accept the cheques of Rs 2 lakh each brought to them as compensation.

East Singhbhum deputy development commissioner (DDC) Amit Kumar also reached late at night, but the angry villagers forced him return.

It must be noted that it was said that villagers gripped by fear of child-lifters have committed the crime of lynching but the ADG of the state made a shocking revelation that no child has been stolen or went missing from the village in the last one year.

ADG R K Malik informed that neither there is any report lodged regarding the child theft nor of missing child.