Lynching of Prakash Lakra
| Date | 10 April 2019 |
|---|---|
| Location | Jurmu |
| District | Gumla |
| State | Jharkhand |
| Coordinates | 23.1660°N 84.1212°E View on OpenStreetMap |
| Victims |
|
| Killed | 1 |
| Injured | 3 |
| Alleged trigger | Cow slaughter |
| Allegation | Suspicion that the men had slaughtered a cow, when they were cutting up an ox that had died |
| Legal status | Two of seven named accused arrested by mid-April 2019; later status of the murder case not reported |
Prakash Lakra (also spelled Lakda) was a 50-year-old Adivasi man from Jurmu village in the Dumri block of Gumla district, Jharkhand, who was beaten to death by a mob on 10 April 2019 on suspicion of cow slaughter. He and three other men had been cutting up an ox that had died.[1][2] The three injured survivors were themselves booked under the state's cow slaughter law.[3]
Incident
On 10 April 2019 a group of people from Jurmu went to carve up a 20-year-old ox that had died in a villager's field, for its meat and hide. A crowd armed with rods and sticks, reported as numbering 35 to 40 men from the neighbouring village of Jairagi, accused them of having slaughtered a cow. Most of the group fled, but four men were caught and beaten.[2][1]
According to a fact-finding team of the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha, the four men were beaten for about three hours and made to chant religious slogans, and around midnight the mob left them in front of the Dumri police station. The team said police made the injured wait outside in the cold for about four hours before taking them to the community health centre in Dumri, where Lakra was declared dead; the doctor said he had probably died about an hour earlier.[1]
The three other men, Peter Kerketta, Belarius Minj and Janerius Minj, were injured. A doctor at the health centre said they had difficulty walking and were in severe pain from blows to their arms and shoulders.[3][1] Deputy Inspector General of Police A. V. Homkar told reporters that four people had been seen cutting a dead bull and were then beaten.[4]
Investigation and legal proceedings
Gumla Superintendent of Police Anjani Kumar Jha said a special investigation team had been set up and that samples from the animal's carcass had been sent for forensic examination; several people were detained.[4] The first information report on the killing named seven men from Jairagi, and two of them had been arrested by mid-April 2019.[2][1]
On 11 April police registered a case of cow slaughter against the victims and 20 to 25 unnamed villagers, based on the statement of a village watchman, and the three injured men were booked under the Jharkhand Bovine Animal Prohibition of Slaughter Act.[1][2] According to the Human Rights Law Network, the Jharkhand High Court granted them anticipatory bail on 19 August 2019.[3] No later reporting on the progress of the murder case was found.
Following a complaint by the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes issued a notice, in a letter dated 2 May 2019, to the Director General of Police of Jharkhand and the Gumla Superintendent of Police, seeking an inquiry report within 15 days.[5]
Reactions
The Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha said the actions of local police officials raised several questions. It alleged that the officer in charge of the Dumri police station had tried to persuade the doctor to record that Lakra was alive on arrival, which the doctor refused to do.[1] The doctor at the health centre, Roshan Khalko, separately alleged that police had pressured him to skip the required post-mortem procedure.[2]
The owner of the dead ox, a resident of Jurmu, said he had not been part of the group that went to cut up the animal.[2] The fact-finding team also reported that the victim's body had been dragged for about a kilometre while the mob shouted slogans, and the eNewsroom report noted that the local member of Parliament had not met the victims' families.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 NL Team. "In Jharkhand lynching case, actions of police officials 'raise several questions,' reports fact-finding team". Newslaundry. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Old Ox Dies, Mob Kills Man Over Cow Slaughter Suspicion". The Quint. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Gumla Lynching: Jharkhand HC Grants Anticipatory Bail to Victims". The Quint. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Scroll Staff. "Jharkhand: Mob lynches Adivasi man for allegedly cutting dead bull". Scroll.in. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 ScribeShah. "National Commission for Scheduled Tribes serves notice to Jharkhand DGP and Gumla SP in Dumri lynching case". eNewsroom India. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2026.