Jharkhand police reinstate murder charge against all accused after 8 days

Ranchi, Sep 19: The police had on September 10 dropped the murder charges against all the 13 accused, converting the case into one of culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304 of IPC) on the basis of postmortem, medical and forensic reports, which said the 24-year-old had died of a cardiac arrest.

While the quantum of punishment under Section 302 is death or imprisonment for life and fine, the penalty under Section 304 is imprisonment for life or imprisonment for 10 years or fine or both.

The official said that as the previous medical report stating that Ansari's death was caused due to cardiac arrest was not clear, the police took a second opinion from specialist doctors from the MGM Medical College and Hospital in Jamshedpur.

"On the basis of main findings, we opined that (1) the fracture of bone is grievous injury caused by hard and blunt object, (2). The combined effect of fracture of bone, pale organs and heart chambers full of blood resulting into cardiac arrest," the report by fresh board of doctors said.

The police also did not find any distortion in the viral video showing Ansari being beaten up by the accused, the official said. The 13 accused were arrested in connection with Ansari's death.

Ansari worked as a labourer and welder in Pune and had come home to celebrate Eid when he was captured by locals at Dhatkidih village on the night of June 17 over suspicion of trying to steal a motorcycle. He was tied to a pole and assaulted by a mob with sticks and iron rods. A video of the scene that went viral and was flashed across television networks showed he was forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Jai Hanuman' by his tormentors.

Although there was no evidence of the perpetrators' link to any Hindu right organisation, Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists had protested their arrest.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was set up to look into the case after Ansari was declared "brought dead" by doctors at the Tata Main Hospital in Jamshedpur on June 22. Two policemen were suspended in connection with the incident.