A Bihar court today convicted 15 persons and acquitted 23 others for lack of evidence in the sensational massacre of 34 people of a particular caste by the outlawed Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) ultras 17 years ago.
Additional District Judge (ADJ)-III Ranjit Kumar Singh passed the order convicting the 15 persons under relevant sections of the law and acquitted 23 others for want of evidence against them in the Senari massacre case.
The judge will pronounce the quantum of punishment against the convicts on November 15.
According to the prosecution, the MCC ultras had on March 18, 1999 killed 34 persons of a particular caste by slitting their throats with sharp objects after forcing them to gather near Thakurbari in Senari village under Karpi police station area which was then part of Jehanabad district, now under the jurisdiction of Arwal district.
Seven other persons had sustained injuries in the incident.
A woman Chintamani Devi, whose husband and son were among those masscred by the MCC ultras, was an informer in the Senari massacre case, the prosecution had said.
The police had subsequently lodged an FIR against one Vyas Yadav alias Naresh Yadav and 500 unidentified persons.
The charge sheet was filed against 74 accused persons in 2002 and the trial was held against 56 persons as 18 others were absconding. Charges were later framed against 45 accused persons, two of whom died during pendency of the case, while five others went missing.
( Source – PTI )
