Brinda seeks justice for Khairlanji victims

New Delhi, Jan 16 (UNI) Senior CPI(M) leader and party Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat today met Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and sought his immediate intervention to ensure speedy justice for the victims of the Khairlanji incident.

''The Home Minister has assured me and the eye-witness of the killings - Mr Sidharath Gajbhaiye -- who accompanied me, that the government will look into our concerns seriously,'' Ms Karat told mediapersons at a press conference.

Addressing the conference -- where Mr Gajbhaiye was also present --Ms Karat alleged that the state government had yet not set up the Special Court to try the accused, as promised both by the central and state governments.

''Besides the local administration is in league with the political parties, and the BJP and the NCP are out to subvert the judicial process as the Dalits constituted only three per cent of the area population,'' she charged, further alleging that 23 people who had got bail in the case, were now openly threatening and intimidating the key eye witness -- Mr Gajbhaiye -- with dire consequences.'' ''Instead of protecting the key eyewitness, the local administration was ''increasing his vulnerability'' as he had been stripped of his position as 'Police Patil' (Special Police Officer),'' she said, claiming that the state government lacked the ''political will'' to render justice to the victims, as had been evident from the fact that their request to the Chief Minister had also not yielded the desired results.

UNI