First sentencing in lynching case, 11 get life term

◗ On June 29 last year, Alimuddin Ansari was beaten to death by a mob led by members of a local gau raksha samiti ◗ The 11 convicts include a BJP district media cell in charge, Nitayanand Mahto, besides at least three members of the local gau raksha sami

Ranchi, March 21: A fast track court in Ramgarh, Jharkhand, awarded life imprisonment for to 11 of the 12 people for lynching a meat trader in June last on the suspicion that he was transporting beef.

According to agencies, judge Om Prakash held them guilty under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 147 ( rioting), 148 ( rioting with deadly weapons), and 149 ( unlawful assembly). The 11 convicted and sentenced include a district media cell in charge of BJP, Nitayanand Mahto, besides at least three members of the local gau raksha samiti.

The judge handed out the life sentence after hearing both sides on the quantum of punishment. The court also directed the district services legal authority to initiate proceedings for ensuring adequate compensation to the victim’s family. The court had convicted them on March 16.

On June 29, 2017, in Bazaar Tand locality of Ramgarh town, Alimuddin Ansari, 40, was beaten to death by a mob led by members of a local gau raksha samiti.

The mob had also set his vehicle ablaze. Phone call records revealed that one of the accused followed Ansari for about two hours on June 29, informed two others about the victim’s location before intercepting him at Bazaar Tand.

The incident occurred a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had decried people taking law into their hands in the name of “gau raksha”.

Forensic tests later confirmed that the meat he was carrying was beef. The sale of beef is banned in the state.