Ranchi: The family of Fagu Kachyap, is still clueless about the reason for which he had been brutally assaulted on September 22 at Khunti’s Suari Jaltanda village. Fagu’s left hand was fractured during the assault.
Thirty-five-year-old Fagu, a farmer, is one of the two survivours of Khunti lynching. One Philip Horo has also been lucky to have survived the mass assault. However, physically challenged Kailem Barla, was not able to escape the wrath of the mob, which was ready to draw blood, simply on the suspicion of the trio selling beef.
“We only know that he (Fagu) had gone to do some farming work. He left home around six in the morning. This is how he begins his day, generally. But later in the day, we got to know that some people have beaten him. We had also been told that he could have died due to the brutal assault. But when we reached RIMS, we found him to be alive. Around that time he was undergoing his treatment,” said Atwa Kachyap to eNewsroom.
Atwa, a student, lives in Ranchi, while his family in Khunti. His elder brother Fagu has five children. His father along with Fagu used to do farming work for eke-out-living.
When asked, is he satisfied with the police work, he added, “No one is telling us much about the incident that took place and exactly what had happened on that day. Not even the police. And we are not satisfied at all with the police action.”
Thursday evening, members of Adivasi Mulwasi Astitwa Raksha Manch met the Deputy Commissioner, and the Superintendent of Police, Khunti and demanded a guarantee from the officers that they would insure of “no more mob lynching” incident in Khunti area.
“The incident has been a planned one to disturb the communal harmony in the Khunti area. We have demanded the identification of such people in the area and the immediate arresting of the accused,” said Dayamani Barla, a social activist and one of the signatories to the letter to SP and DC, to eNewsroom.
Atwa’s claim has reality as even after six days of the incident; police could arrest only a single accused – 25-year-old Parmanand Singh. The very next day of the crime, some news reports had suggested that the police had detained around 7 persons. In a press communiqué released by the Jharkhand police had mentioned that four had already been taken in custody. But later most of them had been released.
Thirty-five-year-old Barla, who succumbed to injuries, was a specially challenged person and had gone to visit his sister at her residence, where he had been caught by the mob and was lynched on suspicions of selling beef.
An officer of Karra police station, requesting anonymity said, “Four people have been accused of the crime and have been named in the FIR. Soon we will be able to grab a few more.” The officer added, “We had not thought that Barla would die, as others had more injuries. But he might have had suffered from internal injuries. Doctors had said that he is fine, and for a better treatment he was referred to Ranchi.”
Thursday evening, members of Adivasi Mulwasi Astitwa Raksha Manch met the Deputy Commissioner, and the Superintendent of Police, Khunti and demanded a guarantee from the officers that they would insure of “no more mob lynching” incident in Khunti area.
“The incident has been a planned one to disturb the communal harmony in the Khunti area. We have demanded the identification of such people in the area and the immediate arresting of the accused,” said Dayamani Barla, a social activist and one of the signatories to the letter to SP and DC, to eNewsroom.
The Manch has also demanded for a compensation of Rs 25 lakhs for the family of the deceased mob lynching victim and a government job for one of his family members. They have also asked for a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for each of the injured victims.
