Ramabai Nagar riot: 8 acquitted

The Sewri fast track sessions court acquitted all the eight persons accused in the Ramabai Nagar rioting of 1997 of charges under section 307 of Indian Penal Code apart from charges under various sections for unlawful assembly and charges of rioting.

"None of the prosecution witnesses supported its case and the state's story was defeated earlier by the Gundewar committee report and by the conviction of Manohar Kadam," said Shakil Ahmed, the defence lawyer of one of the accused Hiremath Gaikwad. "The entire case was a cover up for the wrong doings of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF)."

However, the findings of a commission report formed especially by the state to look into the matter indicted SRPF officer Manohar Kadam for firing indiscriminately at the mob.