In the case reopened for reinvestigation in connection with the Bhagalpur communal riots, a local court sentenced the lone accused in the case to life imprisonment.
BHAGALPUR: In the first of 28 cases reopened for reinvestigation in connection with the Bhagalpur communal riots of 1989, a local court on Tuesday sentenced the lone accused in the case to life imprisonment.
Additional District and Sessions Judge S N Mishra, who on November 23 had held Kameshwar Yadav guilty of killing a paan shop owner, awarded him life-term on Tuesday.
The riot cases were reopened by the Nitish Kumar government after being closed by the police during the erstwhile RJD regime for want of evidence.
Judge S N Mishra pronounced Kameshwar Yadav guilty under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly), 201
(causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender) of the IPC and some sections of the Arms Act.
The case related to the murder of a paan shop owner Munna at Asanandpur locality of Bhagalpur town. He was shot dead by a mob led by Yadav but the body was never found.
The police had registered a case against Yadav in February 1990 on the basis of the statement of Biwi Walima, Munna's mother and an eyewitness to the incident. But the police closed the case in May the same year stating evidence available did not substantiate the charges against Yadav.
Thirteen witnesses had deposed in the court for the prosecution during the trial and nine for the defence.
After the court pronounced its judgement, supporters of Kameshwar Yadav shouted slogans against the state government even as tight security arrangements were made around the court campus.
According to official figure, 1123 people lost their lives in the riot. However, as per unofficial estimates, the toll was over 2000.
In total, 886 FIRs were lodged in the riots relating to cases of which the local court had announced its judgement in over 12 cases.
Altogether 535 people named accused in 72 cases have been acquitted while 336 accused were convicted. Of them 104 were facing life imprisonment before Chief Minister Nitish Kumar instituted an inquiry commission for reopening of the closed 28 cases when RJD was in power.
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