Jharkhand lynching: Five including main accused arrested

Jharkhand: Five accused have been arrested in an alleged mob lynching case, where a 22-year-old man was beaten to death by the locals in Saraikela, Jharkhand.

The deceased has been identified as Tabrej. He was later arrested on suspicion of theft.

The accused who have been arrested are Bhimshen Mandal, Premchand Mandal, Kamal Mehto, Sonamo Pradhan and Prakash Mandal aka Pappu Mandal (main accused).

Following the incident, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi lashed out the state government saying, "such incidents are not going to stop as the BJP and RSS have increased hate against Muslims in the society."

He was admitted to Sadar hospital on Sunday morning and then referred to Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur.

Tabrej's family has, however, alleged that the attack was communal and that he was made to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Jai Hanuman'.

"Some locals thrashed Tabrej and later gave him over to the police. He was suspected of theft but it was a communal attack. He was beaten because he had a Muslim name. They made him chant 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Jai Hanuman' again and again. We were not allowed to meet him at the hospital. We have the video of the incident. I demand the culprits be arrested," Tabrej's relative Maqsood Alam said.

"We want action against the police personnel who were on duty at that time," another relative said.

An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway, police said.

(With inputs from DNA)