Ramgarh Lynching case: Witness’s Wife “Killed” Outside Court Premises

The wife of an eyewitness in the Ramgarh lynching case was killed in a road accident on Thursday after she left the court to bring some documents required for hearing. A fast-track special court has been constituted by the Jharkhand high court for day-to-day trial in the case where a Muslim trader, Alimuddin Ansari aka Asgar Ali, was lynched to death by a frenzied mob for allegedly carrying beef on June 29 at Bazartand at Ramgarh town in Jharkhand.

Alimuddin’s son, who was taking the woman to her house on his motorbike, also suffered injuries in the accident.

Eye witness Jalil Ansari was to depose before the court. He was allegedly getting threats from Right-wing fringe groups who want him not to appear in the court as a witness in the case.

“I forgot to bring my identity card. Therefore, I sent my wife with Alimuddin’s son Shahzad Ansari to bring it. Bajrang Dal activists threatened us in the court premises with dire consequences if I deposed before the court in the case,” Jalil told the police in a written complaint which is in possession of NewsClick.

When the two (Jalil’s wife and Alimuddin’s son) left the court to bring the identification document, their bike was hit by a vehicle allegedly in a “planned manner” that led to her death. Alimuddin’s son Shahzad is injured and undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The mob, which had killed Alimuddin, allegedly comprised of Bajrang Dal activists who had set ablaze the former’s vehicle, a Maruti Van, after killing him.

The incident had taken place hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned cow vigilantes against taking the law into their own hands and condemned violence perpetrated in the name of protecting the bovine considered holy by many Hindus.

The Jharkhand high court recently constituted a special fast track court presided over by additional district judge Om Prakash to try the case on day-to-day basis.

Jharkhand, which is being ruled by the BJP, has witnessed a series of lynching of Muslim cattle traders in the months of May and June.

The issue also rocked Parliament with several opposition leaders questioning the government’s seriousness in taming the frenetic mobs.

Facing criticism from all corners, Chief Minister Raghubar Das warned officer-in-charge of police stations that they would lose their jobs if any case of mob lynching was reported from their area.

So far, 12 people – including a BJP leader Nityanand Mahto – have been arrested by the special investigation team formed by the government to probe the Ramgarh lynching case.