Jharkhand mob lynching: Adivasis protest police 'inaction', FIR against victims

Counterview Desk
The Jharkhand Janadhikar Manch (JJM), a civil rights network, on Monday sponsored a protest against the police action against the Adivasi victims of the lynching which took on April 10, 2019, in Jurmu village of Dumri block in Gumla district of Jharkhand. The incident led the death of Prakash Lakda, aged 50.
Three other victims from Jurmu – Peter Kerketta, Belarius Minj and Janerius Minj – sustained severe injuries due to the beating by the mob.
Lynched by men from the neighbouring Jairagi village, Jurmu residents, ever since the incident, are being threatened by people from Jairagi, a JJM statement alleges, regretting, the police is not acting against those responsible for what happened on April 10.

A JJM note on the protest:

On April 10, 2019, Prakash Lakda, a 50-year old Adivasi of Jurmu village of Gumla’s Dumri block, was lynched to death by a mob of men from the neighbouring Jairagi village. Three other victims from Jurmu – Peter Kerketta, Belarius Minj and Janerius Minj – sustained severe injuries due to the beating by the mob.
On May 31, 2019, Kendriya Jan Sangharsh Samiti organised a protest against the violence and administrative inaction. Despite this protest, the police has failed to take any action against the perpetrators of the Dumri lynching. The police has in fact charged the surviving victims of the lynching with cow slaughter.
To once again protest against the continued injustice, the Jan Sangharsh Samiti organized a protest today in front of the office of the Gumla Deputy Commissioner. The protest was attended by hundreds of people from not only Gumla, but also from the nearby districts of Ranchi and Latehar.
Today’s protest began with Albert Tigga from the Jan Sangharsh Samiti briefly recollecting the incident of lynching and the fact finding of the incidence and protests against the violence and administrative inaction. The fact finding team clearly established that the owner of the dead ox requested the victims and others of Jurmu village to carve the dead ox. While carving the dead ox, the villagers were attacked by a mob of 35-40 persons from Jairagi village and beaten for hours.
Ashutosh Rahul Tirkey shared that instead of taking action against the perpetrators of violence, the police filed a FIR against the Adivasi victims of the lynching. Further, the Gumla district court has rejected the anticipatory bail filed for these victims.
The court order clarifies that the police did not include the testimonies of the residents of Jurmu in the case diary. Even the testimony of the dead ox owner has not been recorded properly by the police. The facts have been recorded in a distorted manner in favor of the perpetrators of lynching.
Villagers from Jurmu said that since the lynching, residents of Jurmu are being threatened by people from Jairagi. On the advice of the local administration, residents of Jurmu stopped supplying mud to a brick kiln being operated by a resident of Jairagi.
In retaliation, the brick kiln owner threatened residents of Jurmu with the comment “khoon ki nadiyan baha denge” (will flow rivers of blood). Moreover, Adivasi children from Jurmu are denied water from a public hand pump at Jairagi chowk.
Social activist Ashok Verma said that on June 17, another person was lynched, this time a Muslim in Saraikela Kharsawan district of Jharkhand. Like in case of Dumri, this victim was also forced to say “jai shree ram” and “jai hanuman”.

This is the 18th lynching death in Jharkhand in the past three years. These series of lynchings clearly indicate the immunity provided to the perpetrators of violence by the state government.
Jan Sangharsh Samiti’s Saroj Hembram said that she protests against the bovine protection law that is used to kill people on the name of cow slaughter. Kendriya Jansangharsh Samiti strongly condemns these series of lynchings, the subsequent harassment of surviving victims and the administrative inaction against the perpetrators of violence.

Towards the end of the protest meeting, a delegation of protestors submitted a memorandum to the Gumla Deputy Commissioner with the following demands:

Withdrawal of false cases of cow slaughter filed against the Adivasis of Jurmu
Arrest of all the perpetrators involved in the mob violence and file charges against them under The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act
Take action against the local police for its long delay in arranging medical treatment for the victims and filing of false case of cow slaughter
Provide interim compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the deceased’s family and Rs. 10 lakhs each to the injured victims
Compliance with the recent Supreme Court judgement on lynching
Action against the continued harassment of Adivasis of Jurmu

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Why Venezuela govt granting amnesty to political prisoners isn't a sign of weakness

By Guillermo Barreto On 20 May 2017, during a violent protest planned by sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, 21-year-old Orlando Figuera was attacked by a mob that accused him of being a Chavista. After being stabbed, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire in front of everyone present. Young Orlando was admitted to a hospital with multiple wounds and burns covering 80 percent of his body and died 15 days later, on 4 June.

Walk for peace: Buddhist monks and America’s search for healing

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The #BuddhistMonks in the United States have completed their #WalkForPeace after covering nearly 3,700 kilometers in an arduous journey. They reached Washington, DC yesterday. The journey began at the Huong Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, and concluded in Washington, DC after a 108-day walk. The monks, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, undertook this journey for peace and mindfulness. Their number ranged between 19 and 24. Led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara (also known as Sư Tuệ Nhân), a Vietnamese-born monk based in the United States, this “Walk for Peace” reflected deeply on the crisis within American society and the search for inner strength among its people.

Four women lead the way among Tamil Nadu’s Muslim change-makers

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* A report published by Awaz–The Voice (ATV), a news platform, highlights 10 Muslim change-makers in Tamil Nadu, among whom four are women. These individuals are driving social change through education, the arts, conservation, and activism. Representing diverse fields ranging from environmental protection and literature to political engagement and education, they are working to improve society across the state.

From water scarcity to sustainable livelihoods: The turnaround of Salaiya Maaf

By Bharat Dogra We were sitting at a central place in Salaiya Maaf village, located in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh, for a group discussion when an elderly woman said in an emotional voice, “It is so good that you people came. Land on which nothing grew can now produce good crops.”

When free trade meets unequal fields: The India–US agriculture question

By Vikas Meshram The proposed trade agreement between India and the United States has triggered intense debate across the country. This agreement is not merely an attempt to expand bilateral trade; it is directly linked to Indian agriculture, the rural economy, democratic processes, and global geopolitics. Free trade agreements (FTAs) may appear attractive on the surface, but the political economy and social consequences behind them are often unequal and controversial. Once again, a fundamental question has surfaced: who will benefit from this agreement, and who will pay its price?

Why Russian oil has emerged as the flashpoint in India–US trade talks

By N.S. Venkataraman* In recent years, India has entered into trade agreements with several countries, the latest being agreements with the European Union and the United States. While the India–EU trade agreement has been widely viewed in India as mutually beneficial and balanced, the trade agreement with the United States has generated comparatively greater debate and scrutiny.

Trade pacts with EU, US raise alarms over farmers, MSMEs and policy space

By A Representative A broad coalition of farmers’ organisations, trade unions, traders, public health advocates and environmental groups has raised serious concerns over India’s recently concluded trade agreements with the European Union and the United States, warning that the deals could have far-reaching implications for livelihoods, policy autonomy and the country’s long-term development trajectory. In a public statement issued, the Forum for Trade Justice described the two agreements as marking a “tectonic shift” in India’s trade policy and cautioned that the projected gains in exports may come at a significant social and economic cost.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha raises concerns over ‘corporate bias’ in seed Bill

By A Representative The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has released a statement raising ten questions to Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan regarding the proposed Seed Bill 2025, alleging that the legislation is biased in favour of large multinational and domestic seed corporations and does not adequately safeguard farmers’ interests.

Search This Blog