Alimuddin Ansari’s widow gets Rs. 5 lakh compensation from Jharkhand HC

Mariam Khatoon was given Rs. 5 Lakh compensation by the order of the Jharkhand High Court, confirmed by a news report that came in on Friday.

She earlier received Rs. 2 Lakh from District Legal Service Authority (DLSA.)

Ramgarh: Mariam Khatoon, the wife of Alimuddin Ansari who was lynched by cow vigilantes in Jharkhand last year, was given Rs. 5 Lakh compensation by the order of the Jharkhand High Court, confirmed by a news report that came in on Friday.

She earlier received Rs. 2 Lakh from District Legal Service Authority (DLSA.) It was reported that after the lynching, Ramgarh Deputy Commissioner had assured Mariam that her son would be getting a job and she would get a ration shop in her name, but there has been no update on that development.

On September 14, News Central reported about a team of journalists, activists and lawyers that met the families of lynching victims in Jharkhand, as a part of a civil society initiative, Karwan-e-Mohabbat. They were making sure that lynch victim received fair compensation.

“Alimuddin Ansari’s widow, Mariam Khatoon, is also still waiting for her widow’s pension and compensation from the state. The Karwan team met the family in Ramgarh district. Alimuddinwas lynched on June 29, 2017, on suspicion of transporting beef. The accused persons were identified and arrested after a video of the lynching went viral on social media. Out of the 12 accused, 11 were sentenced to life in prison in September last year. However, the Jharkhand High Court has recently suspended the sentence for eight of them, including that of accused BJP leader Nityanand Mahto. The wounds of his widow haven’t healed. They were worsened after Union Minister Jayant Sinha went ahead and garlanded the convicted gaurakshaks when they were released on bail,” the report said.

In a July report by Sabrang India, it was reported that the local police refused to issue a death certificate to Mariam Khatoon without which she couldn’t apply for compensation. “The local police have not issued a death certificate to Mariam Khatoon, Alimuddin’s widow, claiming that since he died in a moving police vehicle, his exact place of death can’t be ascertained. Without the death certificate, Mariam can’t get the compensation,” the report said.

Background:
On June 29, 2017 just hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned lynching under the guise of cow protection, a 45 year old man was killed by a hundred man strong mob in Jharkhand. Alimuddin Ansari aka Asgar Ali of Mouna village was allegedly carrying 200 kgs of meat in his van when he was intercepted by the mob at Bazartand in Ramgarh district. They dragged him outside his vehicle and beat him with sticks and pieces of meat. The mob also set his car on fire.

A video of the assault, that was allegedly deliberately circulated by the assailants on social media, showed that throughout the assault Ansari did not retaliate or fight back, and yet the mob kept beating him relentlessly. In fact one man even violently snapped Ansari’s head to face the camera and yet Ansari still did not fight back. Ansari was rescued by the police who arrived on the spot in 30 minutes even as he was still being assaulted before a crowd that cheered the assailants. He was first taken to Sardar Hospital in Ramgarh, but transferred to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi because of the severity of his injuries. It was at the second hospital that Ansari breathed his last.