Journalism of Courage
“My brother was dragged out of the police jeep and killed in front of me,” said Uttam Verma, as he stood with this family members on the second floor of the Tata Main hospital in Jamshedpur. Uttam’s brothers Gautam and Vikas and their friend Gagnesh Gupta were among the seven persons lynched in two mob attacks in tribal-dominated areas near Jamshedpur following “rumours of child-lifting gangs” in the area. They had recently started a business of building toilets and were visiting areas near the city to conduct awareness campaigns. They were attacked while they were returning to Jamshedpur on Thursday.
“We first thought there was an accident when we saw the mob sitting by the roadside near Goradih village. They were holding swords and other arms. They stopped us and started asking us questions. Then they alleged that we were childlifters. I called my friend and my grandmother and asked them to bring our ID proofs,” said Uttam.
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“When the police arrived, we felt safe. One of my brothers got on the police jeep. But then, the mob dragged him out and started assaulting him. I saw him die in front of my eyes. My grandmother was there. She saw it all and was beaten up too,” Uttam told The Indian Express.
“All this happened in front of policemen. They stood helpless,” said Uttam.
“We want the culprits to be arrested. They made videos of the incident and circulated it. No politician came to us. We want the culprits to face what they did to my brothers,” he added. The family members have refused the compensation of Rs 2 lakh announced by the state government.
