Local BJP leader and district spokesperson Nityanand Mahato is among the four people who have been arrested in connection with the lynching of meat trader Alimuddin Ansari in Jharkhand’s Ramnagar district on 29 June.
Inspector Kamlesh Paswan, from Ramgarh police station, said the BJP leader was arrested on 1 July.
Four people have been arrested now. One of the main accused in the case, Chotu Rana, who can be seen hitting Ansari with a stick repeatedly in the videos, voluntarily surrendered. We are working hard to arrest each person.Kishore Kaushal, Superintendent of Police
Chotu Rana, who is barely out of his teens, was one of the 12 named in the First Information Report filed by Ansari’s wife, Mariyam Khatoon.
Two others, identified as Deepak Mishra and Chotu Verma, surrendered on 3 July. The police are currently trying to probe as to who tipped off the self-proclaimed ‘gau rakshaks’.
The BJP said that Nityanand Mahato, the co-in-charge of the BJP’s district media cell, was "a dedicated party worker” who had “nothing to do with the Bajrang Dal or Gau Raksha Samiti”.
The compensation amount of Rs 2 lakh is also ready, Ramgarh deputy commissioner Rajeshwari B said.
Alimuddin, a meat trader by profession, was killed by a mob of at least ten, over suspicion of carrying beef in his Maruti van. When The Quint spoke to members of his grieving family, they appeared to be distrustful of the police.
Why should we believe the police? They haven’t told us even one arrest has been made.Mariyam Khatoon, Alimuddin’s wife
The Rs 2 lakh means nothing to me, Khatoon said, when asked about the compensation.
.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
The police did not comment on the family’s feelings of distrust. "I can assure you we will do everything in our capacity for the family," Rajeshwari said.
The police has also issued phone numbers for people to contact, in case skirmishes related to cattle or meat break out.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)