Lynching of Tabrez Ansari

{{Infobox civilian attack

| title = Tabrez Ansari lynching

| image = File:Tabrez Ansari during lynching.jpg

| caption = Tabrez Ansari during lynching

|map= {{Location map| India Jharkhand#India3

|width = 250

|float = right

|label =

|marksize = 8

| lat_deg = 22.8027

| lon_deg = 86.1807

}}

| map_caption =

| location = Dhatkidih, Saraikela, Jharkhand, India

| coordinates =

| target = Tabrez Ansari

| date = 17 June 2019

| time =

| timezone =

| type = Lynching

| fatalities = 1 (Tabrez Ansari)

| perps = Mob

| accused = 11

| weapons = Blunt objects

}}

{{mapframe|frame=yes|type=point|coord={{Coord|22.8027|N|86.1807|E}}|text= Dhatkidih, seraikela, Jharkhand, India}}

On 17 June 2019, 24-year-old Tabrez Ansari was attacked by a lynch mob in Jharkhand, India. Ansari, a Muslim, was tied to a tree, brutally beaten and forced to chant Hindu religious slogans. He died four days later.{{cite web |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/video/tabrez-ansari-lynching-1597544-2019-09-10|title=Tabrez Ansari lynching: Police drop murder charges against 11 citing autopsy report|website=indiatoday.in|date=10 September 2019 }} The incident came to light after a video of the lynching went viral.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-48882053 |title=Jai Shri Ram: The Hindu chant that became a murder cry |date=10 July 2019 |publisher=BBC}} The attackers accused him of bike theft. India's Prime Minister commented on this lynching in the Parliament of India.

The police investigating the case, later dropped murder charges against a dozen accused. Instead a relatively milder charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was invoked against a dozen accused. This resulted in allegations of weakening the case. The police filed a supplementary charge sheet and charged 11 accused with murder.

Events

Tabrez Ansari was an orphan.{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/no-one-killed-tabrez-ansari-lynching-jharkhand-police-5993644/|title=Tabrez Ansari lynching case: Why the outcome must concern us all|date=14 September 2019}} He lived in Pune and worked there for seven years. He visited his hometown of Kadamdih occasionally on festivals. For Eid al-Fitr he visited Kadamdih. During the visit, on 17 June, he went to Jamshedpur with two friends on the bike of one of his friends.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsclick.in/Jharkhand-Lynching-Tabrez-Ansari-Religious-Polarisation|title=After Tabrez Ansari's Lynching, Attempts at Religious Polarisation Continue in Jharkhand Village|date=28 June 2019|website=NewsClick}} While returning from Jamshedpur, he was caught in the village Dhatkidih, near Kadamdih. He was tied to a tree by the mob and brutally beaten on the suspicion of bike theft. While the mob was beating him, a video was made by an unidentified person in the mob. He was forced to say religious slogans such as "Jai Shri Ram", which translates from Hindi to "hail Lord Ram" or "victory to Lord Ram",{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/world/asia/india-hindu-muslim-beating.html|title=Forced to Chant Hindu Slogans, Muslim Man Is Beaten to Death in India|last1=Raj|first1=Suhasini|date=2019-06-25|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-02-04|last2=Nordland|first2=Rod|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} and "Jai Hanuman".{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/lynch-mob-to-victim-chant-jai-shri-ram-and-jai-hanuman-suggests-footage/cid/1693066|title=Lynch mob to victim: Chant 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Jai Hanuman'|website=telegraphindia.com}}

On the morning of 18 June, the police were notified. Ansari was arrested and locked up in Saraykela Police Station.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/hindi/india-48758990|title=तबरेज़ अंसारी तो गाँव वालों के लिए सोनू थे, मारने वाले कौन?|first=आनंद|last=दत्त|newspaper=BBC News हिंदी |date=25 June 2019}} His wife received a call from him telling her what had happened. She informed her relatives.

His uncle visited the station and saw that he was severely injured. He asked the police to provide medical treatment, but Ansari was sent to prison without it. Two days later. when his uncle went to see him in prison, Ansari was not in any condition to talk. His uncle alleged that he contacted the police for medical help, but was denied. He tried to reach the medical officer of the prison too, but was unable to meet him. On the morning of 22 June, Ansari's family received news that his condition was severe, and he was admitted to Sadar Hospital. His relatives reached the hospital by 7:30 am, but by that time, he had died.

Response

The Tabrez family demanded that the perpetrators be tried under Section 302 (Punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code.{{cite news |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-jharkhand-lynching-family-of-man-beaten-on-suspicion-of-theft-demands-compensation-job-for-wife-2764534 |title=Jharkhand lynching: Family of man beaten on suspicion of theft demands compensation, job for wife |date=24 June 2019 |newspaper=Daily News and Analysis}} Ansari's wife said that her husband was mercilessly beaten because he was a Muslim. She demanded justice.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/jharkhand-mob-killing-five-arrested-so-far-two-cops-suspended-for-negligence-2058442|title=Jharkhand Mob Killing: 11 Men Arrested, 2 Police Officers Suspended|last=Kumar|first=Manish|date=2019-06-05|website=NDTV.com|access-date=21 November 2019}}

On 25 June, 11 arrests were made, and two policemen were suspended for "not reporting the seriousness of the issue to the higher authorities" and "{{sic|register}} a case of lynching on the very same day"{{cite news |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/jharkhand-mob-killing-five-arrested-so-far-two-cops-suspended-for-negligence-2058442?amp=1&akamai-rum=off |title=Jharkhand Mob Killing: 11 Men Arrested, 2 Police Officers Suspended |date=25 June 2019 |author=Manish Kumar |newspaper=Daily News and Analysis}}

A Special Investigation Team was assigned to investigate the case. The Saraikela-Kharsawan district police charged 11 of the 13 named accused in the case on 29 July. The murder charges were then dropped, but later reinstated.{{cite news |title=Tabrez Ansari lynching case: Police restore murder charge against 11 accused |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/tabrez-ansari-lynching-case-police-restore-murder-charge-against-11-accused-1600603-2019-09-18 |access-date=20 November 2019 |work=India Today |language=en}}

A medical panel of five members was formed to look into the death. The resulting medical report concluded that Tabrez Ansari suffered a skull fracture caused by a "hard and blunt object", a subarachnoid haemorrhage, and clotting of blood in the lower layer of the skull; and suggests that these injuries led to the cardiac arrest that resulted in Ansari's death. The consumption of poison was ruled out.{{cite news |title=Tabrez Ansari lynching: New medical report suggests cardiac arrest was due to skull fracture, other injuries |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/tabrez-ansari-lynching-medical-report-cardiac-arrest-skull-fracture-jharkhand-police-1598668-2019-09-13 |access-date=20 November 2019 |work=India Today |language=en}}

On 9 September 2019, the police dropped the murder charges by giving cardiac arrest as the reason of death, which led to an uproar.{{Cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/murder-charge-dropped-in-tabrez-ansari-lynching-case-in-jharkhand-2303797.html|title=Murder Charge Dropped in Tabrez Ansari Lynching Case in Jharkhand|website=News18|date=10 September 2019 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/tabrez-ansari-lynching-police-drop-murder-charges-against-11-citing-autopsy-report-1597490-2019-09-10|title=Tabrez Ansari lynching: Police drop murder charges against 11 citing autopsy report|author=India Today Web Desk New (Input from Satyajeet Kumar)|date= 10 September 2019 |website=India Today}} Instead, relatively milder charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was invoked.{{cite news |title=Tabrez assault clip showing chant 'not doctored' |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/tabrez-assault-clip-showing-chant-not-doctored/cid/1704037 |access-date=24 January 2021 |work=telegraphindia.com |date=10 September 2019}} Due to this, the police were accused of weakening the case. On 18 September 2019, the police filed a supplementary charge sheet after obtaining the opinion of a board of doctors of MGM Medical College and Hospital, reinstating the murder charges against 11 accused.{{cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/tabrez-ansari-lynching-case-murder-charge-back-on-all-accused/article29452797.ece |title=Tabrez Ansari lynching case accused face murder charge |date=18 September 2019 |newspaper=The Hindu}}

Reaction

The lynching resulted in public anger,{{cite news |title=Protests in Indian cities after Muslim man beaten to death |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/06/protests-indian-cities-muslim-man-beaten-death-190627005534986.html |access-date=20 November 2019 |work=aljazeera.com}} debates on the use of "Jai Shri Ram" as a war cry against muslims{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-48882053|title=The Hindu chant that became a murder cry|last=Pandey|first=Geeta|date=10 July 2019|work=BBC|access-date=20 November 2019}} and multiple protests, including one in New Delhi held near the parliament house, where protesters chanted slogans against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded an end to anti-Muslim violence.

Modi commented on the lynching in parliament, that he was pained{{Cite web|url=https://in.reuters.com/article/india-protests-lynching-idINKCN1TR2AW|title=Protests in Indian cities after Muslim man is lynched, Modi says he is 'pained'|last=Siddiqui|first=Zeba|date=26 June 2019|website=Reuters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626181638/https://in.reuters.com/article/india-protests-lynching-idINKCN1TR2AW|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 June 2019|access-date=2020-02-04}} to hear about the incident and calling for "the strictest possible punishment to the accused". Rahul Gandhi, at the time President of the Indian National Congress, called the lynching a "blot on humanity".

Vishwa Hindu Parishad called the lynching "a conspiracy of secularists",{{cite news |title=VHP brands Tabrez Ansari lynching as conspiracy |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/vhp-brands-tabrez-ansari-lynching-conspiracy-mob-lynching-case-1598037-2019-09-11 |access-date=20 November 2019 |work=India Today |language=en}} which VHP Joint General Secretary Surendra Jain blamed on "the Khan Market Mafia, which has repeatedly been maligning Hindu society, India and humanity."

The issue was raised at the 41st General Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council along with an increasing number of mob lynchings against Muslims and Dalits in India since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsclick.in/united-nations-report-tabrez-ansari-lynching-india|title=United Nations seeks report on Tabrez Ansari lynching from India|website=Newsclick}}