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The eerie silence at Nayibasti in Jharkhand’s Bokaro Thermal area is occasionally broken by wails from the home of Mubarak Ansari (48), who was beaten to death by a mob in the early hours of Wednesday, allegedly because he and another man from the neighbourhood stole a battery from a vehicle.
“My father was not a thief. Even if something happened, people knew him, he could have been handed over to the police. We were targeted and there was a conspiracy…(otherwise) my father would have been alive today,” said Mubarak’s only son Yusuf.
Mubarak Ansari and Akhtar Ansari (26) were assaulted by a mob in Govindpur — less than 2 km from his residence — allegedly while they were returning with the stolen battery. He was later rushed to the hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead. Akhtar is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Mubarak’s wife Farjana Khatun trashed the theft allegation. “We had sufficient money to lead our lives. My husband went to jail many years ago in a petty case. In the last 20 years, there was no case against him. We have farm land and were supposed to harvest the paddy in a few days. Last night, my husband went to check the farm because he feared that our crops would be destroyed by stray cattle,” she said.
Farjana said she regrets falling asleep after he left. “In the morning, I came to know that he was beaten and then he had died,” she said, adding, “hume insaaf chahiye (we want justice).”
She also indicated that the assault on Mubarak could be a fallout of an earlier clash between her husband and residents of Govindpur. “People would drink and throw bottles in our farm. A few years ago, there was a ruckus. I think they wanted to take revenge,” she said.
Bokaro SP P Murugan said, “Mubarak Ansari apparently went to jail for cable theft in 1998.” On the ruckus Farjana referred to, he said, “We have no information on it. As of now, he was beaten for stealing a battery. We have also recovered a battery.”
Karim Ansari, a resident of Nayibasti and a member of Sadar Anjuman Committee, said he had received information of the assault from a Govindpur villager. “On reaching there, I saw both of them writhing in pain. I wanted to untie them, but the mob stopped me. I called up the police and only after they arrived, the two were rushed to the hospital.His hands appeared to be dislocated, jaw broken and he was barely breathing,” said Karim.