Thirteen years after 58 dalits were massacred in Laxmanpur-Bathe village of Jehanabad,a Patna court on Wednesday sentenced 16 persons to death and awarded life sentence to 10 convicts. Sixteen people,however,were acquitted.
The additional district and session judge (I) convicted 26 people treating it as rarest of rare case. Most of the accused owed allegiance to now almost-defunct upper caste private army Ranbir Sena.
Prosecution lawyer CK Sinha said: “As Laxmanpur-Bathe was one of the biggest carnage,the court took strong view of killing of dalits in brutal manner and sentenced 16 people to death treating it as rarest of rare case”. Several convicts were sent to Beur jail. Bail of some of convicts were cancelled with immediate effect.
Charges were framed against 44 men of the upper caste militia Ranvir Sena on 23 December 2008 on charges of killing 58 people,including 27 women and 10 children on 1 December 1997.
During the hearing,91 of the 152 witnesses deposed before the court. Forty-seven people wre made accused in the case.
Four Dalit families were completely wiped out in the bloodbath. This was the biggest strike by Ranbir Sena. MCC,now CPI (Maoists) had retaliated this massacre with Senari carnage later.
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