Charges framed in Khairlanji case

Nagpur, Mar 2 (UNI) A court in Bhandara today framed charges against 11 accused in connection with the killing of 4 members of a Dalit family by villagers in Khairlanji in Bhandara district in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra in September last.

The First Ad Hoc Judge and First Additional Sessions judge S S Das also rejected the bail application moved by the 11 accused after hearing counsels for the prosecution and the defence. They will now remain in judicial custody.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed the chargesheet in connection with the gruesome killings against Gopal Benjewar, Shatrughan Dhande, Mahipal Dhande, Dharmapal Dhande, Vishwanath Dhande, Prabhakar Mandlekar, Jagdish Mandlekar, Ramu Dhande, Purushottam Titarmare, Sakru Benjewar and Shishupal Dhande.

All the accused denied the charges. The next date for hearing will be March 6.

The CBI has filed charges under sections 120 B, 302, 449 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and sections 3, 2 and 6 of the Atrocities Act. It had opened arguments on the chargesheet on February 22, the date of the previous hearing, but the matter was postponed to today, as the court wanted the details of the charges against the accused to be submitted in tabular format.

The same day, the court had discharged 36 persons who had been arrested in connection with the case as the CBI did not file any charges against them due to lack of evidence. The 36 persons were among the 47 arrested during the investigations into the gruesome killings and had later been granted bail. The probe was later handed over to the CBI, which filed charges against 11 of the 47 persons.

Surekha Bhotmange (45), daughter Priyanka (18), and sons Roshan (23) and Sudhir (21) were lynched by a mob in Khairlanji late on the night of September 29 last over a land dispute.

UNI