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29 July 2009: Six years of rigorous imprisonment
was awarded to five convicts in the 2008 Kandhamal riot
case.
A fast track court at Phulbani convicted Bisra Kanhar,
Durbasha Kanhar, Rabi Kanhar, Gupteswar Kanhar and
Naresh Kanhar and sentenced them to six years
imprisonment.
The court had examined eight witnesses and further
judged that the guilty had set fire to many houses last
September when violence following the murder of Swami
Laxmananda Saraswati was at its peak.
Earlier last month, a 58-year-old Kandhamal riot-accused
was sentenced to two years of jail.
In its first conviction since August 23, one of the two
fast track court set to try riot cases, found Chakradhar
Malik guilty and sent him to two years imprisonment and
a fine of Rs 1,000.
Apart from his role in the riots, Malik also was found
guilty for setting fire to a house and threatening to
murder a Christian.
10,000 people were named in 827 cases registered during
the August riots. Chargesheet has already been filed in
437 cases and investigation was on in other 354 cases,
including the nun’s rape.
A judicial commission already has begun investigating
into the Kandhamal violence and has even submitted a
28-page interim report to the state government.
In the report, the commission headed by retired Justice
Sarat Chandra Mohapatra, said, “the final
recommendations would take at least another two years
for completion.”
The commission examined an estimated three hundred
affidavits before releasing its interim report in which
it asked the Orissa government to settle land, fake
caste certificate and conversion issues.
“Cumulative anger of locals, mostly tribals, who felt
neglected for years fuelled the prolonged violence in
Kandhamal,” the report added.
The report, however, made no mention of the role of
saffron outfits in the violence after the murder of
Swami Laxmananda. It also did not blame any religious
body or the Maoists who claimed to have conducted the
August 23 assassination.
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