‘The court shouldn’t have done the sentencing days before Ram Navami,’ some locals said.
Ramgarh: The life sentence handed out to 11 men for lynching a man here last year on the suspicion of carrying beef took on communal overtones as their families alleged foul play.
On Wednesday, as the men were escorted by the police to court, the relatives gathered outside, as well as local reporters and others who identified themselves as the convicts’ “supporters”, broke into chants of “Jai Shri Ram”.
After the sentencing, the atmosphere turned sombre amid a collective sense of victimisation among members of the crowd.
“The police have framed innocent people. We will challenge this unjust verdict,” said Surendra Kumar, the father of Deepak Mishra, one of the men convicted for the murder of Alimuddin Ansari.
“My son just happened to be there at that point. He did not lynch Alimuddin,” Kumar, who identifies himself as a ‘gaushala mandir pujari’, added. “What achhe din does the BJP talk about when it’s filling up prisons with innocents?”
On the day of conviction, he alleged, “slogans of ‘Pakistan zindabad’ and ‘Hindustan murdabad’ were raised” in the area where Ansari’s family lives.
His sentiments were echoed by many others. Most relatives said the convicts just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and were falsely implicated.
“He has been doing this for 10 years,” said convict Chhotu Verma’s aunt, referring to his “cow-protection activities”. “Wonder why he’s met this fate now.”
The men themselves, however, seemed unperturbed as they walked out of the court. “We will fight till the end,” said one, a saffron tika on his forehead.
‘No ruling out riots’
Ansari’s wife Mariam Khatoon, who did not know about the sentence given until contacted by ThePrint, said she was satisfied with the verdict.
Asked if she was expecting the death penalty for the men, she added, “Whatever the court says is acceptable to us. We just don’t want bloodshed and rioting.”
Yet, some in the town do not rule out the possibility. “The court shouldn’t have done the sentencing days before Ram Navami,” said Ashok Kumar, a local driver. “Tempers will be running high. You never know what will happen.”
A day before the sentencing, Khatoon had said she was worried it might put her family at risk, adding, however, that she hadn’t faced any threats so far.
There was exhaustion in her voice Wednesday when asked whether she would continue the legal battle if the verdict was challenged by the convicts. “I will see when that happens,” she said.