In Jharkhand’s Koderma district, Maulana Sahabuddin, an Imam from Raghuniyadih, was lynched by a mob while returning home on his bike. The mob accused him of hitting a woman on the road and brutally beat him to death.
Shahabuddin’s son Mohd. Parvez Alam said that his father, who worked as an Imam and taught children in Barkada District, Hazaribagh, left Basrao at around 8 am on June 30, 2024, to return home to Bunichowdia on his two-wheeler (registration number JH10F9434). Near Ghuthari Kariya, Shahabuddin’s bike was allegedly dodged by an auto, causing an accident that resulted in Anita Devi, a resident of Khuthari Kar, sustaining injuries to her hand and nose.
Anita Devi’s husband, Mahendra Chadav, and her brother-in-law, Ramdev Yadav, along with other local residents and boys playing cricket nearby, gathered at the scene. Despite Anita Devi reportedly requesting the mob not to beat Shahabuddin, they continued to assault him, beating him with batons and sticks.
“He was bleeding from his nose, but he had no external injuries, it was most likely internal bleeding. We want the authorities to investigate the matter,” Alam said.
Suraj Das, a local leader associated with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), said, “The woman who was hit by the motorcycle was requesting the mob not to beat the Maulana, but they continued beating him. The woman was not seriously injured, but the mob beat him because he was a Muslim, they probably saw him wearing a cap and beard.”
Das added, “He didn’t die in an accident; if it were so, then he would’ve been saved, but the mob hit him on the head.”
Meanwhile, the police have denied allegations of mob violence, stating that they arrived at the scene after Maulana Sahabuddin had met with an accident and was bleeding.
“We transported him to the hospital in a police vehicle, where he later succumbed to his injuries. His body was sent for a postmortem,” a police officer told The Observer Post.
