RELIGIOUS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA) – A court in India sentenced 10 men to a decade each in prison for lynching a Muslim man, who was tortured and forced to chant Hindu religious slogans four years ago.
“Independent” reported Tabrez Ansari, 24, was tied to an electricity pole and tortured for 12 hours by the mob in June 2019 after being accused of breaking into a house and stealing a motorbike in the eastern state of Jharkhand.
Videos from the assault showed Ansari being forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ (hail Lord Ram) and ‘Jai Hanuman’ (hail Hanuman) – religious slogans appropriated by Hindu hardliners – while he pleaded for his life.
Despite Ansari repeating the chant, the mob kept assaulting him through the night. The local police arrested Ansari the next day for theft.
Ansari complained of nausea and chest pain on 22 June and was transferred to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The remaining 10 were convicted last week by a trial court on charges of “culpable homicide not amounting to murder”.
Critics have accused Mr Modi’s government of turning a blind eye to attacks on minorities, which have been reportedly on a rise since the Hindu nationalist leader became the prime minister in 2014.
There have been similar incidents of lynchings in India where Muslims have been attacked by “cow vigilantes” over rumours that they had eaten beef, or smuggled cows.
Cow slaughter is deemed illegal in many Indian states as the animal is considered holy to Hindus.