2016 Latehar mob lynching/en - Revision history

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	{{Incident infobox		{{Incident infobox
	\|title=2016 Latehar mob lynching		\|title=2016 Latehar mob lynching
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	\|short_description=Cattle trader Mazloom Ansari and 12-year-old Imteyaz Khan were killed and hanged from a tree in Latehar, Jharkhand, in March 2016; eight men were later convicted.		\|short_description=Cattle trader Mazloom Ansari and 12-year-old Imteyaz Khan were killed and hanged from a tree in Latehar, Jharkhand, in March 2016; eight men were later convicted.
	}}		}}
	~~<languages/>~~
	The '''2016 Latehar mob lynching''' was the killing of cattle trader Mazloom Ansari, 32, and 12-year-old Imteyaz Khan, whose bodies were found hanging from a tree in Latehar district, [[Jharkhand]], in March 2016 after they were attacked while taking oxen to a cattle fair.<ref name="quint-2018" /><ref name="wire-2018" /> In December 2018 a Latehar court convicted eight men of murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment.<ref name="scroll-2018" /> In April 2022 the Jharkhand High Court suspended the sentences and granted the convicts bail.<ref name="maktoob-2022" />		The '''2016 Latehar mob lynching''' was the killing of cattle trader Mazloom Ansari, 32, and 12-year-old Imteyaz Khan, whose bodies were found hanging from a tree in Latehar district, [[Jharkhand]], in March 2016 after they were attacked while taking oxen to a cattle fair.<ref name="quint-2018" /><ref name="wire-2018" /> In December 2018 a Latehar court convicted eight men of murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment.<ref name="scroll-2018" /> In April 2022 the Jharkhand High Court suspended the sentences and granted the convicts bail.<ref name="maktoob-2022" />

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	An independent investigation by journalist Ajit Sahi, endorsed by eleven organisations and reported in April 2018, alleged that police had weakened the case. It said the first information report was filed about 17 hours after the incident, that witnesses said their statements had not been written down, that confessions were recorded before police rather than a magistrate, and that a local Bharatiya Janata Party leader named in the FIR had not been questioned.<ref name="newslaundry-2018" /> Human rights groups demanded that leader's arrest.<ref name="scroll-2018" />		An independent investigation by journalist Ajit Sahi, endorsed by eleven organisations and reported in April 2018, alleged that police had weakened the case. It said the first information report was filed about 17 hours after the incident, that witnesses said their statements had not been written down, that confessions were recorded before police rather than a magistrate, and that a local Bharatiya Janata Party leader named in the FIR had not been questioned.<ref name="newslaundry-2018" /> Human rights groups demanded that leader's arrest.<ref name="scroll-2018" />

	On 19 December 2018 ~~First Class Judicial Magistrate Rishikesh Kumar~~ convicted all eight accused of murder, and on 21 December sentenced each to life imprisonment and a fine of ₹25,000, with an additional year in prison for non-payment.<ref name="scroll-2018" /><ref name="~~wire~~-2018" /> The Quint reported that the conviction rested largely on the testimony of the three eyewitnesses.<ref name="quint-2018" />		On 19 December 2018 a court in Latehar district convicted all eight accused of murder, and on 21 December sentenced each to life imprisonment and a fine of ₹25,000, with an additional year in prison for non-payment.<ref name="scroll-2018" /><ref name="aljazeera-2018" /> The Quint reported that the conviction rested largely on the testimony of the three eyewitnesses.<ref name="quint-2018" />

	The convicts appealed. In April 2022 the Jharkhand High Court granted bail to all eight and suspended the life sentences imposed by the district court. The Association for Protection of Civil Rights, which was providing legal assistance to the victims' families, said the families intended to challenge the bail order in the Supreme Court.<ref name="maktoob-2022" />		The convicts appealed. In April 2022 the Jharkhand High Court granted bail to all eight and suspended the life sentences imposed by the district court. The Association for Protection of Civil Rights, which was providing legal assistance to the victims' families, said the families intended to challenge the bail order in the Supreme Court.<ref name="maktoob-2022" />

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{{Incident infobox
|title=2016 Latehar mob lynching
|date=2016-03-18
|place=Jhabar, Balumath
|district=Latehar
|state=Jharkhand
|lat=23.833
|lon=84.783
|victims=Mazloom Ansari; Imteyaz Khan
|killed=2
|injured=0
|trigger=cattle transport
|allegation=Attacked by members of a local cow protection group while taking oxen to a cattle fair
|legal_status=Eight men convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Latehar court in December 2018; in April 2022 the Jharkhand High Court suspended the sentences and granted bail pending appeal
|short_description=Cattle trader Mazloom Ansari and 12-year-old Imteyaz Khan were killed and hanged from a tree in Latehar, Jharkhand, in March 2016; eight men were later convicted.
}}
<languages/>
The '''2016 Latehar mob lynching''' was the killing of cattle trader Mazloom Ansari, 32, and 12-year-old Imteyaz Khan, whose bodies were found hanging from a tree in Latehar district, [[Jharkhand]], in March 2016 after they were attacked while taking oxen to a cattle fair.<ref name="quint-2018" /><ref name="wire-2018" /> In December 2018 a Latehar court convicted eight men of murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment.<ref name="scroll-2018" /> In April 2022 the Jharkhand High Court suspended the sentences and granted the convicts bail.<ref name="maktoob-2022" />

== Background ==

Mazloom Ansari (also spelled Majloom or Majlum) was a 32-year-old cattle trader, and Imteyaz Khan (also spelled Imtiaz or Imtiyaz) was a 12-year-old schoolboy.<ref name="aljazeera-2018" /> The two had set out with eight oxen to sell at a cattle fair.<ref name="quint-2018" /><ref name="newslaundry-2018" /> Al Jazeera reported that the attackers were members of a local Hindu “cow protection committee”, and one of the men later convicted told police that he was a functionary of a local Gau Raksha Samiti.<ref name="aljazeera-2018" /><ref name="quint-2018" />

== Incident ==

On the night of 17–18 March 2016 the two were intercepted near Balumath, about 45 km from the town of Latehar.<ref name="quint-2018" /> According to police, they were beaten to death and then hanged from a tree.<ref name="wire-2018" /> Their bodies were found hanging between the Jhabar and Chetan areas, within the limits of Balumath police station.<ref name="wire-2018" /> Police said that two men returning from a wedding had spotted the victims and alerted others.<ref name="aljazeera-2018" />

Three relatives and acquaintances of the victims later testified as eyewitnesses: Mazloom's younger brother Munawar Ansari, Imteyaz's father Azad Khan, and Mohammad Nizamuddin. Azad Khan said he had hidden in bushes and seen one of the attackers fixing a rope to a tree.<ref name="quint-2018" /><ref name="maktoob-2022" />

== Investigation and legal proceedings ==

Five men were arrested within 24 hours of the killings, and three others later surrendered before a local court.<ref name="scroll-2018" /><ref name="wire-2018" /> Police filed a chargesheet in May 2016 against eight members of a cow protection group, which included confessional statements by several of the accused.<ref name="newslaundry-2018" /><ref name="quint-2018" /> All the accused were granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in November 2016.<ref name="newslaundry-2018" />

An independent investigation by journalist Ajit Sahi, endorsed by eleven organisations and reported in April 2018, alleged that police had weakened the case. It said the first information report was filed about 17 hours after the incident, that witnesses said their statements had not been written down, that confessions were recorded before police rather than a magistrate, and that a local Bharatiya Janata Party leader named in the FIR had not been questioned.<ref name="newslaundry-2018" /> Human rights groups demanded that leader's arrest.<ref name="scroll-2018" />

On 19 December 2018 First Class Judicial Magistrate Rishikesh Kumar convicted all eight accused of murder, and on 21 December sentenced each to life imprisonment and a fine of ₹25,000, with an additional year in prison for non-payment.<ref name="scroll-2018" /><ref name="wire-2018" /> The Quint reported that the conviction rested largely on the testimony of the three eyewitnesses.<ref name="quint-2018" />

The convicts appealed. In April 2022 the Jharkhand High Court granted bail to all eight and suspended the life sentences imposed by the district court. The Association for Protection of Civil Rights, which was providing legal assistance to the victims' families, said the families intended to challenge the bail order in the Supreme Court.<ref name="maktoob-2022" />

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="quint-2018">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thequint.com/amp/story/news/india/latehar-lynching-gau-rakshaks-sentenced|title=Gau Rakshaks Sentenced To Life: Full Story Behind Latehar Lynching|publisher=The Quint|date=2018-12-21|author=Aditya Menon|access-date=2026-10-31}}</ref>
<ref name="wire-2018">{{Cite news|url=https://m.thewire.in/article/law/eight-life-term-jharkhand-mob-lynching/amp|title=Eight Get Life Term in Jharkhand Mob Lynching Case|publisher=The Wire (PTI)|date=2018-12-21|access-date=2026-10-31}}</ref>
<ref name="scroll-2018">{{Cite news|url=https://amp.scroll.in/latest/906606/scroll_in|title=Latehar lynchings: Eight sentenced to life in Jharkhand for killing cattle trader and minor boy|publisher=Scroll.in|date=2018-12-21|author=Scroll Staff|access-date=2026-10-31}}</ref>
<ref name="aljazeera-2018">{{Cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/india-life-sentence-lynching-muslim-cattle-traders-181221161750872.html|title=India: Eight get life sentence for lynching Muslim cattle traders|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=2018-12-21|author=Anumeha Yadav|access-date=2026-10-31}}</ref>
<ref name="newslaundry-2018">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2018/04/03/police-weakened-case-gau-rakshaks-sahi-report-latehar-lynching-ramgarh|title=Police weakened case against gau rakshaks: Report on Latehar lynching|publisher=Newslaundry|date=2018-04-03|author=NL Team|access-date=2026-10-31}}</ref>
<ref name="maktoob-2022">{{Cite news|url=https://maktoobmedia.com/2022/04/13/jharkhand-hc-grants-bail-to-latehar-lynching-convicts/|title=Jharkhand HC grants bail to Latehar lynching convicts|publisher=Maktoob Media|date=2022-04-13|access-date=2026-10-31}}</ref>
</references>

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