Court to hear arguments on sentencing tomorrow

Bhandara, Maharashtra, Sep 19 (UNI) A trial court will hear tomorrow arguments by the prosecution and the defence on sentencing in the case pertaining to the gruesome killing, almost two years ago, of four members of a Dalit family in village Khairlanji in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

Last Monday, First Ad Hoc Judge and First Additional Sessions Judge S S Das had held eight of the 11 accused guilty and acquitted the remaining three in the case. He had also set September 20 as the date for arguments on the sentencing. After hearing the arguments, Judge Das will set the date for handing down the sentence.

Surekha Bhotmange (45), daughter Priyanka (18), and sons Roshan (23) and Sudhir (21) were lynched by a mob in Khairlanji in Bhandara district late on the night of September 29, 2006, over a land dispute. The head of the family, Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange, had managed to escape and survived.

The police had arrested 47 persons during investigation into the incident. The probe was later handed over to the CBI, which filed a chargesheet against 11 persons, with the remaining 36 being released as no charges were brought against them.

There had been widespread violence at several places in Vidarbha, including Nagpur, Yavatmal and Amravati, in the weeks after the killings.

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