Nitish welcomes conviction of Bhagalpur riot accused

Patna, July 7 (UNI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today welcomed the conviction of all the 14 accused in the 1989 Bhagalpur riots and said the judgement would be a deterrent to others.

Commenting on the verdict of the Bhagalpur District Sessions Court, Mr Kumar expressed satisfaction on all the accused being given rigorous life imprisonment by the court.

''Such stringent punishment should be given to those responsible for such heinous crime,''he told newspersons here tonight.

He said though justice came after 18 years, it was satisfying that his government had left no stone unturned to ensure that the perpetrators of the crime were sternly punished.

''Our government is committed to ensuring exemplary punsihment to all the accused of the Bhagalpur riots and has reopened 29 more cases which were closed during the Lalu-Rabri regime,'' Mr Kumar said, adding trial in these cases was on ''expeditiously''. ''It is due to the untiring efforts of the NDA government that several cases related to the infamous riots have come to a logical conclusion,'' he claimed.

Referring to the Commission constituted by his government to probe the riots, Mr Kumar said it should also recommend the quantum of compensation for the victims.

The Commission was also looking into the possibility of returning their land to the victims from where they were forcibly evicted by the rioters, he added.

Incidentally, as many as 116 people were massacred at Logai village in Bhagalpur district in one of the worst riots in the state on October 28, 1989. Though trial began immediately afterwards against 24 accused, six of them died and four absconded during the intervening period of nearly two decades.

As a result only 14 accused were convicted by the court today.

UNI