Shillong, July 5: The Seraikela court in Jharkhand pronounced the quantum of punishment in the 2019 Tabrez Ansari lynching case. The 10 convicts involved in the incident have been sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. In addition to the prison term, the court imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on each of the convicts.
The verdict came after the court had convicted the 10 accused on June 27. The public prosecutor, Ashok Kumar Rai, had earlier stated that the punishment would be announced on July 5. Notably, one of the accused, Kushal Mahali, passed away during the trial, while two others were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
The convicted individuals, Bhim Singh Munda, Kamal Mahato, Madan Nayak, Atul Mahali, Sunamo Pradhan, Vikram Mandal, Chamu Nayak, Prem Chand Mahali, and Mahesh Mahali, were taken into custody immediately after the court’s ruling by Additional District Judge-I Amit Shekhar. It is worth mentioning that the prime accused, Prakash Mandal alias Pappu Mandal, was already in judicial custody.
The incident took place on June 17, 2019, in Dhatkidih village under the jurisdiction of Seraikela police station. Tabrez Ansari was brutally beaten with rods by a mob, alleging his involvement in theft, which ultimately led to his lynching.
