35 accused discharged

MUMBAI: In a big blow to the Congress-NCP combine ahead of the March 11 Zilla Parishad polls, a court in Nagpur on Thursday discharged 35 of the 46 accused in the infamous Khairlanjee massacre, in which four Dalits were burnt alive.

Forty-six persons were arrested in connection with the brutal killing of four members of the Bhotmange family, including the children Priyanka, Sudhir and Roshan, on September 29 last year. An angry mob of local villagers had publicly lynched the Bhotmange family in one of the most gory incidences of communal violence in the state.

The state’s ruling establishment has been accused of going soft on those involved in the killing. The incident had set off violent protest all over the state. Under public pressure, the Congress-NCP government handed over the investigation to the CBI.

The flaring of the issue had also resulted in the Congress-NCP losing its hold among Dalits, as was visible in the recently concluded municipal polls. Thursday’s decision comes a few weeks before 27 Zilla Parishads and 310 Panchayat Samitis in the state going to polls, on March 11.

The Nagpur court discharged 35 of the accused after it admitted a CBI application in this regard. The central agency had moved the discharge application on February 12 and the court had fixed its hearing for Thursday.

The 35 accused who has been discharged include the then police sub-inspector Siddheshwar Bharne, who as the station officer of Andhalgaon was responsible for the area where the killings happened. Judge SS Das of the special court, however, did not decide on the fate of 11 others who are in judicial custody. Their case would be heard on March 2.The court asked the prosecution to furnish a detailed chargesheet listing the chronology of events and crime by February 27.