Bihar govt moves SC as Mukhiyaji’s son seek early arrest of killers

Patna,(BiharTimes): Following intense pressure from the human rights organizations and individuals from across the country and even abroad the state government has filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging the April 16 order of the Patna High Court acquitting all the 23 accused in the Bathani Tola massacre in Bhojpur district on July 11, 1996. Twenty-one Dalits and Muslims, mostly women and children, were killed by Ranvir Sena, a private army of upper caste farmers.

It needs to be recalled that on May 5, 2010 the Bhojpur district court had convicted 23 accused in this case. Brahmeshwar Singh Mukhiya, founder of the Sena, was one among them. Twenty of them were awarded life term. The convicted people had challenged this order in the Patna high court.

However, the Patna high court on April 16 last acquitted all of them as it found the arguments and evidences presented by the prosecution as loose.

After the ruling the state government was accused of making the case weak.

Now the state government has decided to challenge the high court order in the Supreme Court. The state standing counsel, Abhinav Mukherjee, moved the SLP and requested the apex court for fresh hearing of the case related to one of the worst carnages in the state.

Meanwhile, the new president of Akhil Bharatiya Rashtravadi Kisan Sangathan, Indu Bhushan Singh, the youngest son of Mukhiyaji, on Saturday appealed to the state government to forgive those, who indulged in violence during the funeral procession of his father.

He threatened agitation if the killers were not arrested within four days.

Talking to newsmen Singh said the people went on the rampage during the funeral on June 2 because they were angry and emotional.

He said that he did not know those involved in the ruckus.

He said his outfit never demanded a CBI probe into the killing of Mukhiyaji, as it takes a lot of time. But the police investigation is going on at a very sluggish pace.

However, he said that he had no objection with the CBI probe, but want early arrest of those involved in the incident.

He said that the state government had said the case would be solved in about 21 days. But the deadline has passed and the case has not been solved. His outfit would wait for four more days after which it would launch statewide protests.