Union Minister Jayant Sinha garlands 8 lynching convicts after release on bail

Ranchi: Union Minister Jayant Sinha has found himself in a tight spot after pictures of him garlanding eight men convicted for killing a meat trader last year in Jharkhand were widely circulated on social media. 

In the picture, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation is seen garlanding the convicts in the Ramgarh lynching case in Jharkhand at his residence

In March this year, a fast track court convicted 11 people for lynching. However, last week, the Jharkhand High Court suspended the life sentence of eight persons. 

Speaking to ANI, Sinha said, "When these people got bail, they came to my house, I wished them well. Let law take its own course in the future, the accused will be punished and those innocent will be set free." 

Maintaining his stand, Sinha, in a  series of tweets said that he condemned such



acts. However, he had 'misgivings' about the trial of the men convicted by a fast-track court. 

Jharkhand's leader of opposition Hemant Soren slammed the civil aviation minister for his negligence and tweeted 'This is despicable'. In the tweet, he also tagged Sinha's alma mater, the prestigious Harvard University.

A group of people had lynched Alimuddin Ansari, 40, in Bazaar Tand locality of Ramgarh town on June 29, 2017, on the suspicion that he was carrying beef in his car. 

Jharkhand state Congress chief Ajoy Kumar, while talking to News18, accused BJP of fanning communal sentiments. "Any kind of support to such elements is deplorable. This is the true color of the BJP. They just want to win the elections, and for that, their leaders can cross any limit," he was quoted as saying in the report.