Tabrez Killing: Murder Charges Against 11 Dropped, Police Say Death Because Of Cardiac Arrest

Jharkhand Police have dropped the murder charges against 11 accused the lynching of a 22-year-old Muslim man Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand. Police concluded that Ansari died of “cardiac arrest” and it was “not a case of pre-meditated murder.” Earlier, Police had registered the murder charge in the FIR on a complaint by Ansari’s wife.

Ansari was allegedly tied to a pole and thrashed with sticks by a mob at Dhatkidih village in Jharkhand’s Seraikela Kharsawan district on the suspicion of theft. The newly-married man was purportedly seen in a video being forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram” and “Jai Hanuman”. He passed away days after the incident.

“We filed a chargesheet under IPC section 304 because of two reasons. One, he did not die at the spot… the villagers did not have any intent to kill Ansari. Second, the medical report did not substantiate the murder charge. The final post-mortem report said Ansari died due to cardiac arrest and that a haemorrhage in the head was not fatal. The second medical opinion said the cause of death was a combination of cardiac arrest and the head injury,” the Indian Express quoted Karthik S, Saraikela-Kharsawan SP as saying.

Ansari was allegedly thrashed with sticks by a mob in the state's Seraikela-Kharsawan district on the suspicion of theft. After beating him mercilessly for about 18 hours, the villagers handed Ansari over to police. He had been in the judicial custody since June 18 and was taken to the Sadar Hospital on June 22 after his condition deteriorated. At the Sadar Hospital, he was diagnosed with multiple injuries and subsequently referred to the Tata Main Hospital in Jamshedpur, where he was declared "brought dead" by doctors.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the lynching of Ansari and said his killing pained him and the guilty must be severely punished.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Jharkhand Police have dropped the murder charges against 11.
• Police concluded that Ansari died of “cardiac arrest”.
• Ansari was was allegedly tied to a pole and thrashed with sticks by a mob.