New Delhi, June 25: Expressing anguish over the horrific lynching of a 22-year-old man by a frenzied mob in Jharkhand, Congress president Rahul Gandhi condemned the state police for keeping the deceased in custody for four days despite serious injuries inflicted on him. 'Jharkhand Has Become Factory of Lynching And Violence'

The Gandhi scion also attacked the BJP-ruled Centre as well as the state government for maintaining silence over the gruesome mob killing.

"The brutal lynching of this young man by a mob in Jharkhand is a blot on humanity. The cruelty of the police who held this dying boy in custody for 4 days is shocking as is the silence of powerful voices in the BJP ruled Central & State Govts (sic)," he said.

See Rahul Gandhi's Tweet Here:

The deceased, identified as Tabrez Ansari, was caught by a mob in Saraikela-Kharsawan district in the wee hours of June 18. Suspecting him of being a thief, the mob tied up Ansari to a pole and thrashed Ansari for several hours.

The accused villagers also forced him to chant "Jai Shri Ram" and "Jai Hanuman", as per the video of the incident going viral.

The ordeal stopped after police officials arrived at the scene of crime at around 9:30 am and took Ansari into custody. He was booked under various provisions related to theft and taken into judicial custody.

Jharkhand Mob Lynching: Tabrez Ansari’s Death Coincides with US Report on Religious Freedom: Watch Video

The deceased, who had no crime record, was denied bail. He was rushed to a local government hospital only on June 22, after his condition had worsened.

On recommendation of the doctors, he was subsequently rushed to the super-speciality TATA Hospital in Jamshedpur, but was declared dead on arrival.

A total of 11 accused villagers have been arrested so far on charge of murder, and two police officials have been suspended for dereliction of duty.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 25, 2019 09:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).