BJP MP to foot legal expenses of Jharkhand lynching accused

Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Godda Nishikant Dubey on Friday said he will foot the legal expenses of the persons arrested in connection with the lynching of two Muslims in Godda, Jharkhand, on suspicion of cattle theft on Wednesday.

Dubey alleged that the tribals were arrested in connection with the June 13 incident due to pressure from the Congress and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe in the case.

"The arrests were made under pressure from the opposition parties. The Congress on one hand says tribals can't murder and on the other it had got arrested the tribals. How four persons can be identified when a thousand people gathered (during the incident)?" Dubey told PTI.

"I will foot the legal expenses of the arrested persons from lower court to the Supreme Court," he said, adding he wanted a CBI probe.

Two Muslims were beaten to death in Bankati village by enraged residents of neighbouring tribal dominated Dullu village who suspected them and three others of stealing their buffaloes.

After night-long search, the villagers had allegedly caught the two with the cattle and beat them to death. Three others alleged to be involved in cattle theft had managed to escape.

The two deceased were residents of Taljhari in the district, about 200 km from Ranchi.

Godda Superintendent of Police Rajiv Ranjan Singh maintained that the it was a case of cattle theft and strongly denied cow vigilantism as the reason.

"From day one we have told all the media that it is a pure case of theft and not cow vigilantism," Singh said.

He said all the four arrested, identified as Kameshwar Soren, Kishan Rai, Bhukul Kishku and Munsi Murmu, were sent to judicial custody on Friday.

Two first information reports were registered in connection with the lynching case.

The first complaint was lodged by one of the arrested persons, Munsi Murmu, under IPC 379 (theft) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property).

The other complaint was filed by Imran Ansari, the father of one of the deceased, Charuku, under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 148 (armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 302 (murder), police had said.

Charuku had faced two cases of cattle theft in the neighbouring Dumka district, they said.

The other deceased was identified as Murtaza Ansari.