Man lynched in Jharkhand’s Godda, family alleges killing driven by religious hatred
Godda, Jharkhand: A mob killing in Jharkhand’s Godda district has triggered outrage after a 40-year-old Muslim man was allegedly beaten to death. The incident occurred in the Podaiyahat police station area, where the body of Pappu Ansari was found in a field between Matihani and Latta villages on Thursday morning.
Ansari was a resident of Ranipur village under the Pathargama police station limits. He had reportedly gone to the area after being called on the pretext of settling a payment related to cattle delivery. According to his family, he was called again early in the morning to collect money. He was then told that the cattle would not be handed over. When he tried to leave, he was allegedly attacked from behind and surrounded by a group of men.
His brother, Mohammad Naseem, alleged that Ansari was stripped after his brother was identified as a Muslim, and then brutally assaulted. He claimed the attackers used multiple weapons like a farsa, sticks, arrows and a chisel. Naseem alleged the assault continued repeatedly referring to his religious identity.
The incident is said to have taken place during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday in Matihani village. Police said villagers caught Ansari around 1 am on suspicion of cattle theft and allegedly beat him with sticks. Senior police officials reached the spot after receiving information, and the body was sent to Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination.
During the investigation, police recovered slippers, blood-stained sticks, a burnt mobile phone, gutkha packets, khaini and ashes from the scene, as reported by The Indian Express. Headquarters Deputy Superintendent of Police JPN Chaudhary said the man had been beaten to death and that efforts were underway to identify and arrest those involved.
Police sources said Ansari had previous cases related to cattle theft and copper theft registered against him and claimed he had arrived in the village with three others in a pickup vehicle, who managed to flee when he was caught. The family, however, rejected this version, maintaining that the killing was not linked to theft but was an act of mob violence driven by religious animosity.
Naseem alleged that no elected representative or senior official had visited the family after the incident. Ansari is survived by four daughters and a young son.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
