Ten Convicted in Tabrez Ansari Mob Lynching Case by Seraikela Court

Ten individuals are convicted by Seraikela court for the 2019 mob lynching of Tabrez Ansari. The final sentencing is due on July 5.

SERAIKELA – The First Additional District Judge of Seraikela, Amit Shekhar, on Tuesday passed a guilty verdict on ten individuals in connection with the notorious Tabrez Ansari mob lynching case.

The incident had occurred in June 2019 and was registered at the Seraikela police station.

The court acquitted two defendants, Satyanarayan Nayak and Sumant Pradhan, due to a lack of conclusive evidence against them.

The final sentencing for the convicted will be announced on July 5.

The individuals found guilty include Pappu Mandal, Bhim Singh Mandal, Kamal Mahto, Atul Mahli, Sumant Mahto, Vikram Mandal, Chamu Nayak, Premchand Mahli, and Prakash Mahli.

All accused were granted bail post their arrest in June 2019, with the exception of the primary suspect, Pappu Mandal.

Tabrez Ansari, a 23-year-old resident of Mahuldiha village in Seraikela, sustained severe injuries after being brutally attacked by a mob in Dhatkidih village under Sini PS Chowki on June 18, 2018.

Accused of theft in Dhatkidih village, Ansari was physically assaulted by locals and was handed over to the police at dawn.

However, his health deteriorated abruptly on June 21, resulting in his death the following evening at Seraikela Sadar Hospital.

This incident had hit the headlines in the country and was hotly debated on social media. While, a few cited this case as an example of minority harassment and discrimination, there were others who felt that the case had no communal angle and the lynching incident was a normal crime.

Noted journalist Rajdeep Sardesai has again tweeted information about this judgment underlining the importance of the case at the national level.

And his tweet has again sparked off a debate of sorts on social media once again.

A similar lynching incident had occurred in Nagadih of Jamshedpur, when three young men and an elderly woman were lynched.

However, the families of the victims are still waiting for justice with no resolution in sight.

On that fateful night in 2017, Gautam Verma, Vikas Verma, their grandmother Ramsakhi Devi, and family friend Gangesh Gupta were brutally beaten to death by a mob over child theft rumors. However, there were some reports that said that child theft rumour was not the only reason for the lynching incident.

The incident, occurring under the jurisdiction of the Bagbera police station, was captured on video, with local police reportedly helpless against the violence.