Bhagalpur Riot Accused Given Life Imprisonment
Bhagalpur: July 7, 2007
Nearly 18 years after 116 people were butchered by a certain section of people in Bhagalpur on the eventful morning of October 27, 1989, an Additional District and Session judge in Bhagalpur on Saturday awarded life imprisonments to 14 accused in the case thus bringing a closure on the incident that had long been a bone of contention among various political parties.
Judge S. N. Mishra, who had earlier convicted 14 men including the then police station in-charge of Jagdishpur Ramchandra Singh, Saryug Prasad Singh, Thakur Paswan, Shivlal Mandal, Ramdeo Mandal, Prabhash Mandal, Sukhdeo Mandal, Kuldeep Mandal, Naresh Mandal, Ajablal Mandal, Yadu Mandal, and Subhash Mandal, Arjun Mandal, and Thakur Paswan under various Acts of the Indian Criminal Penal Code on June 18, announced the punishment on Saturday handing rigorous life imprisonment to all 14 convicted killers.
The court also directed the police to continue to hunt for Jaiprakash Mandal, also a recipient of life imprisonment, who is on the run from law for several years.
Defense lawyers involved in the case said they would appeal the verdict at a higher court.
Reacting to the court ruling of the punishment phase, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said it was about time justice was served to the victims of the riot that remains a blotch on the otherwise glorious history of Bihar.
"Our next move would be to ensure the victims' family get due compensation and are properly rehabilitated since the case is now closed," Kumar said at a press conference at his residence in Patna on Saturday.
Praising the decision of the judge to award life imprisonment to the accused, the Chief Minister said he was satisfied with the verdict. "People involved in such heinous crime must be punished to the maximum extent under the law so others would never dare to repeat such carnage against fellow human beings," he said.
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