"Even in a crowd of hundred, you could tell he was a Muslim."
This is how Arshad Ansari described his uncle Sheikh Tajuddin who was brutally thrashed while on his usual morning run to work to another village.
Tajuddin (50) a resident of Ghous Nagar, Kapali, Jamshedpur offered his Fajr (early morning) prayer and went on with his day. He left home around 8-9 am on 8 December towards Sapra village to buy a goat. This is where he faced the wrath of four young local men.
His son, Tabrez Alam recounted in the FIR:
"When he reached Sapra village, some men started shouting 'Thief, thief' and beat him with lathis brutally to the point of killing him on the spot. By the time the police arrived, they all fled the spot. I was informed that if the police hadn't reached the spot, he would have died there and then."
The FIR was filed at the time when he was still admitted in the TMH (Tata Main Hospital).
Four men — Mannu Yadav, Chela Yadav, Sanjay Yadav and Gautam Mandal — have now been arrested and jailed, the local corroborated to The Quint.
'Theft Allegations Are False'
Sheikh Alauddin, Tajuddin's uncle stated that he used to go in the morning to buy vegetables, goats or chickens. "That is how he ran his livelihood. He didn't exclusively only buy goats, but whatever was available to sustain the family," he noted.
We got a call around 10 am, that he has been beaten up and being taken to a hospital. So we went there but when he did not improve in 2-3 days, he was shifted to RIMS. It was only later that we got to know that four men had together beaten him up so brutally that he had no energy in him.Sheikh Alauddin to The Quint
Meanwhile in the FIR, the main charges of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) that have been applied are 109 (attempt to murder), 126 (2) punishment for wrongful restraint and 117 (2) punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt among others.
Tajuddin is survived by a wife, a son and three daughters who are married. He lived approximately 6-7 kilometers away from the spot he was beaten up.
Alauddin emphasised, "He was a disciplined Namazi, he gave Azaan (call to prayer) as well. He always had his topi on and a visible beard. It is very possible that he was attacked and killed because of this because he had no other issue at all."
Although Tajuddin was rushed to RIMS (Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences) but on 13 December around 6:30 pm he succumbed to his injuries.
His nephew, Arshad Ansari noted that in the past 2-4 months, he visited the village a few times for the things he had to buy as he was familiar with the sellers there, it was a mutually decided trade.
There was no fight as well. He had a 'maulana' look. Very decent and honest human being. It was part of his work that he had gone for his work, people work this way in Jamshedpur. But he was killed 500-700 meters away from that village.Arshad Ansari to The Quint
The locals told Ansari that, "Had it happened in their village, they would have never let the men do what they did to him."
The family stated that Tajuddin had a simple demeanor who never picked up a fight with anyone and was not confrontational as a person.
The direct consequence of his death is also a burden being carried by his son, Tabrez as their family has lost their breadwinner.
"The police told us that some men locally made a fuss that he was stealing the goat and this is ridiculous. If any one us is carrying a chicken, goat or vegetable we have bought, is it safe to assume we're stealing?," asked Ansari.
Meanwhile, The Quint also spoke to Rajiv Singh, SHO, Adityapur who said that when the police reached on the spot and found Tajuddin lying on the ground after being beaten up. The police then picked him up and admitted it to the hospital.
But, he rubbished the family's allegations that he was possibly killed due to his Muslim identity. Singh stated that he was beaten due to theft suspicion.
"We are still investigating into it and are trying to help the family as much as we can. Tajuddin had earlier got some surgery done because of which had weakness too. There were a lot of internal injuries that Tajuddin got and hence he died."
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