Tabrez Ansari was also forced to chant 'Jai Sri Ram' and 'Jai Hanuman' by the mob
Highlights
- Shams Tabrez, 24, was accused of stealing a motorcycle
- He was tied to pole, beaten for over 7 hours, then handed to police
- His family has demanded that action be taken against police, the mob
A man accused of stealing a motorcycle died in Jharkhand on Saturday, days after being beaten up by a mob. Tabrez Ansari, 24, was caught by a mob on Tuesday evening, tied to a pole and beaten for more than seven hours. He was then handed over to the police on Wednesday morning after he fell unconscious and was also forced to chant 'Jai Sri Ram' and 'Jai Hanuman' by the mob, his family says. Cellphone videos of the beating are being widely circulated in the area.
The relatives of Tabrez Ansari said their request for his proper treatment was ignored by the police. They have demanded that action be taken against the police and the mob which beat him up near the border of Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan and East Singhbhum districts.
After an initial check-up at a local hospital, police sent him to the district's Seraikela jail. When his condition deteriorated, he was taken to the district's Sadar hospital, where he was declared dead.
Family members, after refusing to believe he died, were referred to a private hospital in Jamshedpur. Officials in Tata Main Hospital or TMH, where Tabrez Ansari was later taken, also said he died.
According to the police, Tabrez Ansari had "fallen ill" and had died in Tata Main Hospital. An FIR has been filed following a complaint from his relatives and further investigation is underway, they said.
A relative of Tabrez Ansari said he was going back home to Seraikela-Kharsawan's Karsova from Jamshedpur, along with some friends on Tuesday. They were attacked by a mob barely 5 km from his home.
"There, a motorcycle theft took place and these people were passing by... so the villagers caught them and then beat him up very badly. There were two friends with him who ran away," the relative said.
Tabrez Ansari, he said, was "beaten up the whole night" and then handed over to the police in the morning.
"My elder brother went to see him at the Saraikela police station. But the officers threatened and shooed them away with lathis, saying 'You have come to talk for the thief'. They threatened to put him in jail as well. We were not allowed to meet him," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The family said they were not informed when Tabrez Ansari was moved to the district hospital.
"We think, he died last night," he said, adding, "We want all the officials at the police station, the jail and all the villagers who beat him up to be charged".
The doctors said the man was in coma when he was brought to Sadar hospital. "According to us, he was deeply comatose. We wanted to take an ECG to be sure, But the family wasn't ready to face reality," Variyal Mardi, a senior doctor, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Hyderabad politician Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted about the incident. "This is the pattern with almost all lynchings. First, a Muslim is murdered by cow lovers. Then the most ridiculous excuses begin: a 'suspicion' of beef possession, theft, smuggling & love jihad. So much for sabka vishwas when we can be killed over mere 'suspicions'," he said.