Union Minister 'honours' men accused of lynching Muslim meat trader in Jharkhand

Chandigarh, July 7

Union Minister Jayant Sinha has landed in a controversy after pictures of him honouring eight men convicted of lynching a Muslim meat trader went viral.   

The pictures show the minister garlanding them at his residence in Hazaribagh.  

"This is despicable," tweeted Jharkhand's leader of opposition Hemant Soren, and also tagged Harvard University with it. "Your alumnus @jayantsinha felicitating the accused in cow related lynching death in India. Is this what @Harvard stands for?" 

This is truly despicable. Your alumnus felicitating the accused in cow related lynching death in India. Is this what stands for?

— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM)

The Congress also took a swipe at the minister, IYC tweeted, “27 people in 10 states have fallen victim to lynching and here we have a BJP lawmaker @jayantsinha happily welcoming lynching convicts with sweets and garlands! What kind of a representative of the people are you? #SaveIndia #BharatBachao”

Unbelievably shameful!

27 people in 10 states have fallen victim to lynching and here we have a BJP lawmaker happily welcoming lynching convicts with sweets and garlands! What kind of a representative of the people are you?

— Youth Congress (@IYC)

Sinha defends himself

Sinha called the comments “irresponsible”. Defending himself on Twitter, Sinha said: "In the Ramgarh case (mob lynching), the Ranchi High Court, which is the first court of appeal, has suspended the sentence of the accused and released them on bail while admitting their case. The case will once again be re-heard." Sinha further said that he has full faith in our judiciary and that those who are innocent would be spared while the guilty would be appropriately punished.”

"I have full faith in our judiciary and rule of law. Unfortunately, irresponsible statements are being made about my actions when all that I am doing is honoring due process of law. Those that are innocent will be spared and guilty will be appropriately punished," he said. “I have repeatedly expressed my misgivings about the Fast-Track Court judgement sentencing each accused to life imprisonment. I am pleased that the Hon'ble High Court will hear the matter as a statutory court of appeal to test the correctness of the Fast-Track Court order.”

In the Ramgarh case, the Hon'ble Ranchi High Court, which is the first court of appeal, has suspended the sentence of the accused and released them on bail while admitting their case. The case will once again be re-heard.

— Jayant Sinha (@jayantsinha)

I have repeatedly expressed my misgivings about the Fast-Track Court judgement sentencing each accused to life imprisonment. I am pleased that the Hon'ble High Court will hear the matter as a statutory court of appeal to test the correctness of the Fast-Track Court order.

— Jayant Sinha (@jayantsinha)

I have full faith in our judicial system and the rule of law. Unfortunately, irresponsible statements are being made about my actions when all that I am doing is honoring the due process of law. Those that are innocent will be spared and the guilty will be appropriately punished.

 

I unequivocally condemn all acts of violence and reject any type of vigilantism. The rule of law is supreme in our constitutional democracy. Any unlawful acts, particularly those that violate the rights of any citizen, should be punished with the full force of the law.

— Jayant Sinha (@jayantsinha)

A fast track court in Jharkhand had sentenced 11 people to life imprisonment for having lynched a Muslim meat trader in the state’s Ramgarh district in June last year over suspicions that he was carrying meat—a case that led to widespread outrage in the country.

Alimuddin Ansari, on March 17 was killed by a mob of cow vigilantes in Bazaar Thand in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh town on June 29, 2017. A video of the incident, taped by a local policeman, had gone viral on social media.

Among those accused in the case was a local leader of the BJP, while another belongs to the local unit of the ABVP.