Submit detailed report of Jharkhand lynching in four weeks: NHRC notice to DGP

"A civilised society cannot allow such heinous crimes to occur where human lives are taken by angry mob merely on suspicion of them being anti-social elements."

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Protests against the lynching at Seraikela near Jamshedpur. Source: Manoj Kumar

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday sent a notice to Jharkhand Director General of Police over the mob lynching of seven persons over allegations of being child kidnappers. The commission has given the police four weeks to submit a detailed report. In a statement released on Monday, the commission said, “A civilised society cannot allow such heinous crimes to occur where human lives are taken by angry mob merely on suspicion of them being anti-social elements.”

“The incidents amount to violation of right to life of the innocent victims targeted by the perpetrators. The law enforcing agencies of the state have certainly failed to perform their lawful duty,” the Commission added.

Read | Jharkhand lynching: Amid WhatsApp rumours, tribals stopped school, outdoors for kids

Seven persons were beaten to death by mobs in two attacks in tribal-dominated areas near Jamshedpur following rumours of gangs involved in kidnapping children being active in the region. The incident brought the state to a standstill. What started as a rumour over Whatsapp quickly gained momentum, following which two people were lynched in Jadugora on May 12, three in Bagbera and four in Shobhapur on May 18.

The video of the Bagbera lynching, a one minute, 18-second long clip, shows the victims Gautam and Vikas Verma, 27 and 25, and Gangesh Gupta, a friend of theirs, lying injured. The video shows their 80-year-old grandmother as well as policemen standing nearby.

Also Read | Jharkhand lynching: ‘Saw my brother die in front of my eyes’

The video of the Shobhapur lynching, which caught national attention, shows one of the victims, Naim, lying on the road covered in blood and pleading for his life. He was, however, not spared. Others who lost their lives along with Naim were Sheikh Sajju, Sheikh Siraj, and Sheikh Halim, all in their mid-twenties.

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Families of the victims have sent the videos to the police to help with the investigation, as the clips show the faces of the thrashers clearly as well as police persons who refused to intervene.

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