By IANS
Patna : A court in Bihar Monday found 14 people guilty of involvement in the 1989 Bhagalpur communal riots that had left over 1,000 people dead. The court will pronounce the sentences on June 27.
The ruling by the additional district and sessions judge of Bhagalpur comes 18 years after the Oct 27, 1989 fury in Logai village in which 116 Muslims were slaughtered by a mob.
Logai village in Jagdishpur block witnessed one of the worst killings in the month-long communal riots in Bhagalpur district.
Soon after the verdict, 13 of those found guilty were taken into judicial custody. They had been out on bail. One of the accused is absconding, and the court issued an arrest warrant against him.
Ram Chandra Singh, a police officer and one of the main accused, was also taken into custody. He was then an assistant sub-inspector and posted at Jagdishpur police station.
The trial, which has taken more than seven years, was finally concluded last week.
There were a total of 32 accused. Six died during the course of the trial and the others were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
According to Deputy Inspector General Of Police Ajit Dutt, who investigated the Logai killings and recovered the bodies, 116 people – all Muslims – were killed and buried in a nearby field by the rioters.
In his report, Dutt said that land grabbing was a major reason behind the riots.