Tabrez Ansari 20190919
India lynching victim Tabrez Ansari Image Credit: Social Media/Twitter

Ranchi: Police in the Indian state of Jharkahnd made a U-turn on Wednesday and slapped the murder charges on 11 accused arrested for thrashing and subsequent death of Tabrez Ansari. The police on September 10 had dropped murder charges against killers of Ansari, a victim of mob lynching.

"A supplementary charge sheet has been filed against the 11 accused and 302 of IPC has been added to it. The decision was taken based on the medical team findings," said the police in a press release on Wednesday.

"The initial post-mortem report had indicated death due to cardiac arrest. The post-mortem and viscera reports were sent to the Mahtama Gandhi Hospital. The MGM doctors said fracture of bone was a grievous injury caused by hard and blunt object. The combined effect of bone fracture and blood in heart chambers resulted into cardiac arrest. The viral video inter-grity was also tested and it found true. A supplementary charge sheet has been filed and section 302 of IPC has been slapped on the 11 accused," it said.

The police on September 10 had dropped murder charges against killers of Ansari, a victim of mob lynching.

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A screen-grab from the video of the mob attack

Police sources said the first charge sheet was filed based on the post-mortem report and now the case would be treated as a culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Ansari was caught by villagers with a stolen bike and was thrashed in the Seraikela-Kharsawa district on June 17. He was later shifted to jail where he died a few days later.

As per the initial report, the police reacted late and doctors didn't treat Ansari's injuries properly. The final post-mortem report seems to have given a clean chit to the policemen, doctors and people involved in assaulting Ansari.

"The final post-mortem report indicated that it was not a pre-planned murder and Ansari died due to cardiac arrest. The report also mentioned fracture in the brain," said Kartik, SP of Seraikela-Kharsawa district.