Gumla lynching FIR incorrect says panel

The Police had registered an incorrect FIR over alleged cow slaughter against the victims of mob attack at Jurmu village in Gumla district on April 10, besides delaying medical treatment to the victims, a fact-finding inquiry report by social activists in the state has said on Thursday.

On April 10, 2019, Prakash Lakra (50), Peter Kerketta (50), Belarius Tirkey (60) and Janerius Minj (35) of Jurmu village were beaten by group of over 30 people from another community of neighbouring Jairagi village. While Lakra died, the others suffered injuries. The four were cutting the flesh off a dead ox, the police said.

According to the report released by the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha on Thursday, the police tried to coax the doctor at the local community health centre to make a false entry saying Lakra was alive at the time of being admitted.

As the tribals and other communities like Ghasis and Lohras consume the meat of dead cattle, the other community members of Jairagi village often asked them to dispose of the bodies of dead bovines. It said that Jakherius Kujur of Jurmu village had asked the village residents to carve his dead ox for its meat and hide.

“Whoever the fact-finding team spoke to, said that violence over consumption of bovine meat had never occurred between the communities. None of the victims or their family-members were aware that an FIR on the charge of cow slaughter was registered against them,” the report said.

The actions of the local police raised several questions, it said. While the victims kept saying that they were carving an ox that had died, the police filed an FIR against them and 25 others on charges of cow slaughter, the report said.

After being beaten for around three hours, the victims were dumped by the perpetrators near Dumri police station at midnight, the report said adding, instead of immediately taking the victims to a hospital, the police made them wait outside in the cold for around four hours.

Gumla superintendent of police, Anjani Kumar Jha denied the allegations. He said that two FIRs were registered in the matter. The first was under the state’s Bovine Animal Prohibition of Slaughter Act, 2005, against the four people and several others. He said that the chowkidar of Dumri police station was sent for investigations as the village residents were not willing to provide statements.

The second FIR was registered on the basis of the statements of the victims against seven named accused and others under several provisions of the IPC, including murder, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace and rioting. Two accused, Sanjay Sahu and Jeevan Prasad were arrested in the matter, while police were conducting raids to arrest the others.

“An FIR is only the starting point of any investigation. Arrests are made only after there is corroborating evidence. We registered the FIR against the four people and others on the suspicion of cow slaughter. Investigations were being conducted, and any further action would be taken on the basis of our inquiries,” he said.

The SP said that the accused Sahu had criminal antecedents and was incarcerated for a considerable time in a case of mur

First Published: Apr 19, 2019 03:57 IST