Godda: A 45-year-old Muslim man was brutally beaten to death on Wednesday, January 8, after a mob accused him of stealing cattle in Jharkhand’s Godda district, near the state’s border with Bihar.
The victim, identified as Pappu Ansari, who hails from Ranipur village, which falls under the Pathargama Police Station, was returning home from Shyam Bazaar cattle market in Bihar’s Banka when the incident took place.
His family claimed that a mob of 20 to 25 people used sharp weapons, including an axe, a farsa and arrows, and severely injured him after checking he was a Muslim by stripping him.
The mob had initially stopped his vehicle on the pretext of questioning, but the incident soon turned violent, prompting Pappu to ask the driver and other members to flee.
While the others managed to escape, Pappu was caught and beaten to death by the mob.
“This has nothing to with cattle theft. It is about religion,” Furqan, Pappu’s brother-in-law, told the Indian Express.
Pappu’s elder brother, Mohammed Naseem, told local media that Pappu was stripped and then attacked with multiple weapons.
“They removed his pants, identified him as a Muslim, and then killed my brother. He was attacked with a farsa, beaten with sticks, shot with arrows and hit with a chisel. Whoever had whatever in their hand attacked him. He was killed while they kept saying he is a Muslim, kill him. Is being Muslim a crime? Is this justice in our country?” he said.
Pappu’s body was later found on Thursday morning, January 9, in a field located between Matihani and Latta villages.
Meanwhile, the police claimed the deceased had a criminal record, with Deputy Superintendent of Police JPN Chaudhary saying he had been to jail multiple times.
The family strongly denied that he came to the village to steal cattle and insisted that the killing was motivated by religious hatred.
Jharkand Minister of Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Irfan Ansari raised questions on Papu’s lynching.
“His head was crushed. Who is sowing the seeds of such hatred?… He hailed from an extremely poor family. I informed the Chief Minister [Hemant Soren] about this. CM took immediate cognisance of this and directed the Chief Secretary to investigate this and take strict action,” he said, adding that the state had good governance which protects people.
Pappu is survived by his wife, a son and four minor daughters. He reportedly earned his livelihood by legally transporting cattle from one market to another and possessed the necessary documents for it, according to his brother-in-law. He regularly transported cattle between Bihar and Jharkhand.
