Eight policemen convicted in Gonda fake encounter case

Lucknow, Mar 30: Eight

have been convicted by a special CBI court here in a 31-year-old fake encounter case in Gonda district in which 13 people, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police, were killed.

Special CBI judge Rajendra Singh convicted the eight yesterday and fixed April 5 as the next date to fix quantum of sentence. One policemen Prem Singh was acquitted of the charges. In all 19 policemen were made accused in the case of which 10 died during the course of the trial.

DySP and circle officer K P Singh and 12 other people were killed in the fake encounter in Madhopur village in March 1982. Police initially claimed that Singh was killed by criminals, but his wife Vibha Singh suspected foul play and moved the Supreme Court, which ordered a CBI inquiry.

The CBI filed charge sheet against 19 policemen of which 10 died during the trail. Those convicted include the then PAC commandant Ramakant Dixit, station house officer R B Saroj, sub-inspectors Naseem Ahmad, Mangal Singh, Parvez Hussain, Rajendra Prasad Singh, head constable Prem Narain Pandey and constable Ram Karan. The eight convicts were sent to jail.

PTI