Bihar court acquits 26 in caste massacre case

Citing lack of evidence, the Patna High Court Wednesday acquitted 26 people for the 1997 Laxmanpur-Bathe massacre in Bihar in which 58 Dalits were killed.

Of the acquitted, 16 were sentenced to death and 10 had been awarded life imprisonment in 2010 by the Additional District and Sessions Judge of the Patna Civil court.

"A bench of Justice B.N. Sinha of the Patna High Court acquitted them on the basis of lack of evidence against them in the chargesheet filed by police," a government lawyer said.

Ranvir Sena men had allegedly carried out the massacre Dec 1, 1997.

According to police, charges were framed Dec 23, 2008 against 44 men of the Ranvir Sena on charges of killing the Dalits, including 27 women and 10 children.

Laxmanpur-Bathe, situated on the banks of the Sone river in Jehanabad district, was targeted by the armed Ranvir Sena men.

According to police records, four Dalit families were completely wiped out in the bloodbath.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) government then, led by Rabri Devi, set up the Amir Das Commission to probe the political connections of the Ranvir Sena.

But Chief Minister Nitish Kumar wrapped up the commission after coming to power in 2006.

Opposition parties, including RJD and the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML), alleged that the Nitish Kumar government was protecting the interests of the Ranvir Sena and suppressing the voice of the poorest of the poor.

Last year, Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh was killed at Ara, district headquarters of Bhojpur.