By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : In the first conviction for last year’s communal violence in Orissa, a fast-track court in Kandhamal district Tuesday sentenced a 58-year-old man to two years in jail.
Chitta Ranjan Das, the judge at the first-track court at Phulbani, sentenced Chakra Mallik for threatening to kill Loknath Digal, assistant public prosecutor Ajit Patnaik told IANS.
“It was the first case of conviction in last year’s riot cases,” Patnaik said.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram Aug 23.
More than 25,000 Christians were forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs, who held Christians responsible for Saraswati’s killing.
The government has set up two fast-track courts to try cases related to the communal violence.