Kandhamal: Three convicted for destroying evidence in murder case

A fast track court in Orissa sentenced three people to three years rigorous imprisonment in a case related to last year's violence against Christians in Kandhamal.

Fast track court-I Judge Sobhan Kumar Das convicted the three accused for destroying evidence in the murder of Sidheswar Pradhan of Sulesaro village under Tikabali police station area during the 2008 communal riots.

According to special public prosecutor Bijay Pattnaik, the three although faced charges of murdering Pradhan, due to lack of evidence the charge could not be proved.

It is alleged that Pradhan was brutally beaten by the trio in front of the villagers and his family members and his body set on fire. A fine of Rs. 1,000 each has been imposed on the three.

In another case, a fast track court acquitted eleven persons accused of setting fire to a number of houses in Suleswar village. They were freed due to lack of evidence.

The court has hitherto acquitted total 114 persons in different cases. In contrast, the number of people convicted for the Kandhamal riots stands at 27.

Last month, five people were sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering a pastor. But, during the same month, a fast track acquitted one of the main accused in the violence, BJP legislator Manoj Pradhan, after the murder charges could not be proved. The accused has 14 criminal cases, including seven charges of murder.

Archbishop Raphael Cheenath whose diocese covers the area rues that the court has not justly deal with many of the cases. He lamented that the witnesses were put under severe pressure and intimidation by Hindutva fundamentalists, causing the accused go scot-free.

During the August riots triggered by the assassination of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati, as much as 10,000 people were named in 827 cases.