10 Indians sentenced to 10 years for lynching Muslim man

RANCHI, (India): An Indian court sentenced 10 men to 10 years in jail on Wednesday for the lynching of a Muslim man, who died after being tortured and forced to chant Hindu slogans. Tabrez Ansari was tied to a pole and tortured for 12 hours in 2019, as he cried and pleaded with a mob that accused him of burglary.

A video of the incident that went viral on social media showed the 24-year-old being forced to chant “Jai Sri Ram” — meaning “hail Lord Ram” — a slogan widely used by Hindu hardliners.

Police had later detained Ansari for theft while he was in critical condition, and took him to hospital days after, where he died while in custody.

Following a public outcry, police arrested 12 Hindu men, two of whom were later acquitted due to lack of evidence.