annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Jharkhand
Dumuria block in East Singhbhum district
between 7 and 22 August 2003. Prominent
NSS members, police officers and Central
Reserve Police Force officers posted in the
village allegedly masterminded the
lynching. The victims were allegedly
administered drugs in the food and water
served to them that made them drowsy.
Police officials, along with NSS members,
and some local villagers overpowered and
tied them up. The information was then
transmitted to the district police
headquarters, and after receiving approval
of higher authorities, the alleged Naxalites
were beaten to death between 5.30 am and
7 pm of 7 August 2003. A photographer,
however, managed to take pictures of the
victims with their hands and legs tied. The
ropes used in tying up the slain youth were
found to be the ones normally available
with the police. The involvement of police
became apparent as the district
administration immediately rushed to the
village after the massacre to congratulate
the villagers. 6
On 8 and 9 August 2004, members of
NSS lynched two more persons - Ledha
Patter and Khoka Munda - for having
alleged connections with the Naxals.
Police initially refused to register the FIR
into the killings. But, after PUCL
denounced the extra-judicial killings, an
FIR was lodged against 500 unnamed
villagers. 7 After post-mortems, the dead
bodies were reportedly disposed without
waiting for anybody to make a claim.
Besides, the doctors who conducted the
post-mortem did not preserve the viscera
despite widespread speculation that the
victims were administered poisonous/toxic
substances before being overpowered and
beaten to death. 8
In early July 2004, Jugal Kishore
Chauhan who was arrested on suspicion of
having engineered the abduction of his 12year-old
nephew, Timir Haran Chauhan,
died in police custody. Timir, who was
playing at a park in Loyabad, Dhanbad
was kidnapped by unidentified people
travelling in a white Maruti car but later on
managed to flee and returned home.
Officer-in-charge of Tetulmari Swapna
Kumar Mehta intercepted the vehicle at
Pandeydih but only the driver could be
recovered. Police in the meantime picked
up Chauhan for questioning. Chauhan was
initially detained by the Tetulmari police
and later taken to Loyabad police station.
While Chauhan reportedly admitted that
the boy was kidnapped by mistake, former
Union minister Yogeshwar Prasad stated
that Chauhan was beaten by the police in
front of him. He was allegedly tortured to
death. 9
On 24 July 2004, Tez Ranveer Singh,
a resident of Kadma in Jamshedpur
district, was picked up by the police in
connection with a case of trespassing
registered with the Kadma police station in
2002. He was on bail but a warrant was
issued after he failed to turn up for the
court hearing. He was sent to the Sakchi
jail in Jamshedpur on 25 July 2004 where
he died on the night of 27 July 2004.
Following his death, the police have
registered a case against other fellow
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