2016 Latehar mob lynching: Difference between revisions
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On 19 December 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" /> | ||
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Revision as of 00:55, 31 October 2026
| Date | 18 March 2016 |
|---|---|
| Location | Jhabar, Balumath |
| District | Latehar |
| State | Jharkhand |
| Coordinates | 23.8330°N 84.7830°E View on OpenStreetMap |
| Victims |
|
| Killed | 2 |
| Injured | 0 |
| Alleged 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 |
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.[1][2] In December 2018 a Latehar court convicted eight men of murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment.[3] In April 2022 the Jharkhand High Court suspended the sentences and granted the convicts bail.[4]
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.[5] The two had set out with eight oxen to sell at a cattle fair.[1][6] 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.[5][1]
Incident
On the night of 17–18 March 2016 the two were intercepted near Balumath, about 45 km from the town of Latehar.[1] According to police, they were beaten to death and then hanged from a tree.[2] Their bodies were found hanging between the Jhabar and Chetan areas, within the limits of Balumath police station.[2] Police said that two men returning from a wedding had spotted the victims and alerted others.[5]
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.[1][4]
Investigation and legal proceedings
Five men were arrested within 24 hours of the killings, and three others later surrendered before a local court.[3][2] Police filed a chargesheet in May 2016 against eight members of a cow protection group, which included confessional statements by several of the accused.[6][1] All the accused were granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in November 2016.[6]
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.[6] Human rights groups demanded that leader's arrest.[3]
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.[3][5] The Quint reported that the conviction rested largely on the testimony of the three eyewitnesses.[1]
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.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Aditya Menon. "Gau Rakshaks Sentenced To Life: Full Story Behind Latehar Lynching". The Quint. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Eight Get Life Term in Jharkhand Mob Lynching Case". The Wire (PTI). 21 December 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Scroll Staff. "Latehar lynchings: Eight sentenced to life in Jharkhand for killing cattle trader and minor boy". Scroll.in. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Jharkhand HC grants bail to Latehar lynching convicts". Maktoob Media. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Anumeha Yadav. "India: Eight get life sentence for lynching Muslim cattle traders". Al Jazeera. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 NL Team. "Police weakened case against gau rakshaks: Report on Latehar lynching". Newslaundry. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2026.