35 accused discharged by special Court in Bhandara Dalit killings

Thirty–five out of the 46 accused in the Bhadara Dalit killings case have been discharged by a Special Court in Bhandara district due to lack of evidence.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had pleaded before a trial court at Mohadi in Bhandara district on 13 February 2007 to discharge 35 of the 46 accused in the Khairlanji massacre due to lack of evidences.

The state CID, the initial investigating agency, had arrested 46 persons, including four women in connection with the murder case.

However, the case was later handed over to the CBI which found the involvement of only 11 persons in the gruesome murder case. Now only 11 accused would stand trial against whom the CBI had filed a supplementary charge sheet. While giving a clean chit to 35 accused persons, it moved an application in this regard before the court of judicial magistrate (first class) PY Ladekar at Mohadi.

These 35 persons, including Khairlanji sarpanch Upasrao Khandate and his deputy Urkunda Khurpe, are currently on bail while 11 accused persons are in judicial custody which has been further extended till 22 February 2007 by the Mohadi court.

The court had granted bail to 35 accused on the surety of Rs 25,000 in cash and solvency of the same amount from each person. They were directed by the court not to leave Khairlanji village without prior permission of the police station concerned.

Four members of Bhotmange family – Surekha, her daughter Priyanka, sons Roshan and Sudhir – were mercilessly killed by a section of caste Hindus at Khairlanji, Bhandara district of Maharashtra, September 29, 2006. The incident sparked violent protests in various parts of the State and the State Government finally handed over the probe to the CBI.

Milind Pakhale and Milind Fulzhele of Khairlanji Action Committee felt that by giving a clean chit to 35 accused, the credential of the central agency was now under cloud. It was suggested that the accused, including the police personnel and the medical officials should undergo a narco–analysis test which was, however, never conducted, they further pointed out. According to reports, the CBI made four accused persons among those who were pleaded to discharge as government witnesses in the case.