16 sentenced in Kandhamal riots case

A local court today sentenced 16 persons to three years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on each of them in a 2008 communal riots case in Orissa's Kandhamal district.

Additional sessions judge, fast track court-II, CR Dash convicted the 16 persons for torching houses belonging to the minority community at Sindrigam village of the district in the week following the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati on August 23 that year.

Dash sentenced them to three years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,500 each under section 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance), two years RI and a fine of Rs 2,000 each under section 427 (mischief causing damage) and one year RI and a fine of Rs 500 under section 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons) of IPC.

The sentences would run concurrently.

The convicts were Kambhu Nayak, Subash Sahu, Binay Mallick, Debeswar Mallick, Mane Mallick, Premananda Mallick, Sisir Mallick, Sima Mallick, Srikanta Mallick, Pavitra Mallick, Tuna Majhi, Bagera Mallick, Mahanta Mallick, Bhima Bagh, Sukadeb Bagh and Kantheswar Majhi.