Jharkhand lynching: BJP MP offers to bear legal expenses of four accused of killing two Muslims alleging cattle theft

Godda: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s MP from Godda in Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey, on Friday said he will foot the legal expenses of those arrested in connection with the lynching of two Muslims in the state on suspicion of cattle theft. He alleged that the tribals were arrested in connection with the 13 June incident due to pressure from the Congress and demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the case. [caption id=“attachment_4521111” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] BJP MP Nishikant Dubey. News18[/caption] “The arrests were made under pressure from Opposition parties. The Congress, on one hand says, tribals can’t murder, and on the other, they got the tribals arrested. How can four persons be identified when a thousand people gathered (during the incident)?” Dubey told PTI. “I will foot the legal expenses of the arrested persons from the lower court to the Supreme Court.” Two Muslims were beaten to death in Bankati village by enraged residents of the neighbouring tribal-dominated Dullu village, who suspected them and three others of stealing their buffaloes. After a night-long search, the villagers had allegedly caught the two with the cattle and then beat them to death. Three others suspected to be involved in cattle theft had managed to escape. The two victims were residents of Taljhari in the district, about 200 kilometres from Ranchi. Godda Superintendent of Police Rajiv Ranjan Singh maintained that it was a case of cattle theft and strongly denied cow vigilantism as the reason. “From day one, we have told the media that it is a pure case of theft and not cow vigilantism,” Singh said, adding that all the four arrested — identified as Kameshwar Soren, Kishan Rai, Bhukul Kishku and Munsi Murmu — were sent to judicial custody on Friday. Two FIRs have been registered in connection with the lynching case. The first complaint was lodged by one of the arrested persons, Munsi Murmu, under sections 379 (theft) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The other complaint was filed by Imran Ansari, the father of one of the deceased, Charuku, under the IPC’s sections 147 (rioting), 148 (armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 302 (murder), the police said. Charuku had faced two cases of cattle theft in the neighbouring Dumka district, they said. The other deceased was identified as Murtaza Ansari.