Jamshedpur: Accused Mukhiya testifies in Nagadih mob lynching case, claims police framed him

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, August 23: In the ongoing trial of the infamous Nagadih mob lynching case, Mukhiya Rajaram Hansda, one of the accused, testified in his defence on Thursday in the court of ADJ-1 Vimlesh Kumar Sahay. Hansda, who has been in jail since June 2017, claimed that he was falsely implicated by the police for refusing to name other suspects.

Hansda recounted the events of May 18, 2017, when the brutal lynching of four people occurred in Nagadih under the Bagbeda police station. He stated that he informed the Bagbeda police station about the incident around 8 PM but was at a distance of one kilometre from the scene. According to Hansda, by the time he arrived, a large crowd had already gathered, and police from three stations were present. He criticized the police for not taking adequate measures, such as firing in the air or using lathi charge, to disperse the mob, which led to the deaths.

Hansda also testified that the police, specifically the DSP, pressured him to name ten people each from the villages of Nagadih, Matladih, and Ghaghidih. When he refused, stating that he could not identify the attackers from 200 meters away, the DSP allegedly threatened to implicate him. Hansda claimed that he later discovered through newspapers that he had been named as a suspect, leading to his arrest.

During cross-examination, Hansda admitted that he did not recognize the victims or most of the accused, except a few individuals from Ghaghidih. He maintained that he had no involvement in the killings and was wrongly accused due to police negligence.

The Nagadih lynching case dates back to May 18, 2017, when two brothers, Vikas Verma and Gautam Verma, their grandmother Ramsakhi Devi, and their friend Gangesh Gupta were brutally murdered by a mob in the presence of police. The victims, who were accused of being child thieves, were beaten to death with bricks and stones. An FIR was lodged at Bagbeda police station by Uttam Verma, the brother of the deceased.

Uttam Verma had informed the police that he and his brother Vikas were in Nagadih for sanitation work when they were stopped by a mob demanding identification. Despite the police’s presence, the situation escalated, and the mob dragged the victims out of the police jeep and killed them. Ramsakhi Devi succumbed to her injuries during treatment at TMH.

The case involves 25 named accused, including Mukhiya Rajaram Hansda, and several others who remain absconding. The trial continues as the court examines the testimonies and evidence presented by both the defence and prosecution.