A Jharkhand court on Wednesday, 19 December convicted eight men for killing two Muslim cattle traders in 2016 in the Latehar district of the state, Hindstan Times reported. The killing of Mazlum Ansari and Imteyaz Khan that was popularly referred as the "Latehar Lynching", was the first case of "cow-vigilantism" in Jharkhand.
In 2016, the duo were beaten-up and hanged from a tree while they were on their way to a cattle fair. The lynching of the two triggered massive protests in the state, as the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) who also rose to power at the Centre, was criticised for its inaction.
Hearing the case, Judicial magistrate Rishikesh Kumar on Wednesday sent the eight convicts, Mithilesh Prasad Sahu, Pramod Kumar Sahu, Manoj Kumar Sahu, Awadhesh Sahu, Manoj Sahu, Arun Sao, Vishal Tiwary, and Shahdev Soni, to jail until the quantum of punishment is pronounced later this week, Hindustan Times added.
According to a report published on news website, News Click, the family of the victims had previously alleged that the lynching was "pre-planned" and "was not spontaneous."
Following the lynching, five of the accused were arrested within 24 hours, while three absconding accused later surrendered to a local court. They were later released on bail.
(With inputs from Hindustan Times and News Click)
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