RANCHI : In a series of tweets on Saturday Union Minister Jyant Sinha said that he was “honouring the due process of law” after a row erupted over him felicitating eight men who were earlier convicted for mob lynching.
The eight men were held guilty of killing a meat trader Alimuddin Ansari in the name of cow vigilantism in Ramgarh district of Jharkhand on June 30 last year.
The close links between the saffron BJP and the lynching mob have been confirmed by a union minister, who not only helped men convicted for a lynching to obtain bail but also garlanded them.

A defiant union minister Jayant Sinha invited outrage on Saturday by justifying his action and tweeted that he was merely ‘ honoring’ the legal process. Pressed for his reaction to widespread condemnation, the minister told ANI that he did not support violence, that nobody had the right to take law into their hands and that the guilty would be punished.
On Tuesday, when those men came out of Hazaribagh jail on bail, they met Mr. Sinha at his residence where he garlanded them. Mr. Sinha represents Hazaribagh constituency in Parliament.

Later, a row erupted over Mr Sinha felicitating those eight men convicted for lynching a meat trader. “This is despicable,” tweeted leader of Opposition in Jharkhand assembly and JMM leader Hemant Soren.
Mr. Sinha on Saturday posted a series of tweets saying “though he condemned violence and rejected vigilantism he had misgivings about the trial of the men convicted by a fast-track court.”

“I unequivocally condemn all acts of violence and reject any type of vigilantism. The rule of law is supreme in our constitutional democracy. Any unlawful acts, particularly those that violate the rights of any citizen, should be punished with the full force of the law”, said Mr. Sinha.
But his explanation left most people dissatisfied. How can a union minister garland and felicitate people convicted for killing a man ? Did the minister ever visit the home of the victim, who was also a citizen in his own constituency ? Did he help the victim’s family in securing justice, were some of the questions which were raised on Sinha’s conduct.
While a fast-track court sentenced the eight accused to life imprisonment, based on eyewitness accounts and incriminating videos, the Jharkhand High Court this week ordered them to be released on bail and ordered a re-trial. The union minister had in the past voiced his opinion that the fast-track court had not delivered justice. Can a union minister publicly question the decision of a court of law ?
e tweeted, “I have repeatedly expressed my misgivings about the Fast-Track Court judgment sentencing each accused to life imprisonment. I am pleased that the Hon’ble High Court will hear the matter as a statutory court of appeal to test the correctness of the Fast-Track Court order.”
The convicted, who included several BJP supporters including Nityanand Mahto, drove to Sinha’s Hazaribagh house after their release to thank him for his initiative in getting them released. Apparently the minister helped them with legal aid.
Sinha on Saturday triggered a political row by defending his action in felicitating the eight convicted men in the Ramgarh lynching case.

In a series of tweets on Saturday, Minister asserted that “I have repeatedly expressed my misgivings about the Fast-Track Court judgement sentencing each accused to life imprisonment.” Outraged by the minster’s action and his defence of the indefensible, several users have reacted on Twitter, asking Sinha if he ever visited the family of the victim.
Alimuddin was lynched to death on suspicion that he was carrying beef. But he was reportedly carrying about 200 kg of meat in his van when he was attacked. His vehicle was also set on fire. Subsequently, he succumbed to his injuries soon after being admitted to a hospital by the police.
The lynching happened days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke his radio silence on the issue of cow vigilantism. After the gruesome lynching triggered countrywide outrage, the case was handed over to a fast-track court, which on March 21 completed the hearing in a record five months and sentenced eleven accused including BJP’s Nityanand Mahto to life imprisonment under IPC Section 302 (murder). Apart from that, three of them were convicted under Section 120B (conspiracy) which indicated that it was a pre-arranged plan.
They were convicted on the basis of a statement by Alimuddin’s wife Mariam Khatoon. The police also came across a video that it said showed Nityanand Mahto, 45, dragging Alimuddin Ansari out of the car that a group of cow vigilantes had forced to stop near Ranchi. The mob took over from there and mercilessly thrashed him.(With Agency Inputs ).