Lifer for ex-don in Bhagalpur case

8 Nov 2007, 0352 hrs IST,TNN

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BHAGALPUR: A local court on Tuesday awarded life term to former don Kameshwar Yadav for rioting and killing a shopkeeper during the infamous 1989 Bhagalpur riots which claimed over 1,000 lives. The Kotwali police station case (no. 83/90) was one of the 28 riot cases in which the accused escaped conviction for want of evidence over 15 years ago. These cases were reopened by the Nitish Kumar government a few months back for fresh investigations. While convicting Kameshwar in the case on Friday, the court of ADJ-VII Shambhu Nath Mishra had fixed November 27 as the day for deciding the quantum of punishment. Pronouncing the judgment on Tuesday, judge Mishra described Kameshwar as the kingpin of the riots. Special public prosecutor Mohammad Salauddin later told newsmen Kameshwar was the lone accused in the case lodged by Bibi Waleema in which she accused him of killing her son, Mohammad Munna. Munna was downing the shutters of his shop when the incident took place. "The court awarded Kameshwar life term under Section 364/149 (abduction for the purpose of murder), seven years' imprisonment under Section 201 (tampering with evidence) and three years' jail each under Section 148 (possessing lethal weapons) of the IPC and 27 Arms Act," the public prosecutor said and added all these will run concurrently. Meanwhile, traders in the Parbatti area from where Kameshwar hails kept their establishments closed in protest against the conviction. Around 3,000 Kameshwar supporters, including women, assembled near the court premises and raised slogans against CM Nitish Kumar. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2576832,prtpage-1.cms