In Jharkhand, man lynched on suspicion of theft, mother asks: ‘What right do they have to kill my son?’

The three arrested are Jeevan Oraon, his son Govardhan Oraon and their neighbour Nandu Oraon. Police said they are also probing to see if there are other suspects.

Ranchi SSP Kaushal Kishore told The Indian Express: “There was some sound and he (Ansari) was caught by the house owners. It was then he was beaten up after which police had arrived and took him to the hospital where he was declared dead. There were no apparent injuries. We are waiting for the postmortem report.”

Chanho police station incharge Ranjay Kumar said police have filed two FIRs — one for (Ansari’s) murder and another for attempted theft (against Ansari and others).

“Wajid Ansari had gone inside the house of Jeevan and Govardhan around 4.30 am Friday. There were others with him… As of now it seems to be a case of attempted theft, where only Ansari was nabbed by the residents and then beaten up,” he said.

Ansari’s father, Hafizul Rehman Ansari, said he came to know about the incident through a vegetable vendor. “I was told that some 25 people had tied my son and were beating him, around 6 am. I rushed to the place and I saw police, a mob and my son lying unconscious. The mob was furious… He (Wajid Ansari) was put inside the police vehicle and taken to a local hospital from where he was referred to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi. He was declared dead there,” Hafizul Rehman added.

Denying the allegations of theft against him, Ansari’s family said he had no criminal past and was instead associated with the National Human Rights and Crime Control Bureau (NHRCCB), which claims to be a New Delhi-based non-profit human rights group.

NHRCCB’s state secretary Rameez Raja said Ansari was registered as a volunteer and “he did not have any criminal antecedents”.

Hafizul Rehman said: “The locals were saying that he was caught on suspicion of theft, but they found nothing with him. Only a small packet of Marijuana in his pocket. Who gave him this and what was the intention?”.

Ansari’s mother, Meratun Khatun, questioned why her son was killed.

“If at all he had caused any damage or stolen something, who gave them the right to kill my son? They should have handed him over to the police, then my son would have been alive. They could have taken money from us, then he would have been alive… I need my son back, who will give me my son,” she said.

Meanwhile, Hafizul Rehman said he was not given a copy of any FIR, “if at all registered”.

“The police called me on Saturday and I thought they would take a written complaint from me. Now they have asked me to come on Monday. I have not been handed over any FIR,” he said.