Mob killed 16 Dalits, justice after 31 years: 36 accused died before the verdict, 9 got life imprisonment, how were 41 accused acquitted?

In Part-1 of ‘Kumher Massacre’, you read (if you have not read then its link is at the end of this news) how a small dispute over a movie ticket turned into the biggest caste violence in Rajasthan. Then in retaliation the mob killed 16 people.

Author: Manish Vyas, Bharatpur

A CBI inquiry was set up in this case only after 20 days, in which the whole story came out that the mob had resorted to brutality while killing 16 people. People were begging for their lives but the rioters were fearless. The limits of obscenity even towards women were crossed.

The victims of this massacre had to fight a long legal battle for 31 years for justice. During this period, 20 judges were changed and 36 convicts died before the verdict was given. Of those who survived, 41 were acquitted in court.

Read in Part-2, what kind of barbarity was committed in the Kumher massacre and did the victims get justice even after 31 years?

As soon as 7 deaths occurred, SHO reached the police station, wrote FIR and DSP got the investigation.

After the massacre on June 6, 1992, at around 5.15 pm, the then SHO of Kumher, Rajkaran Singh, went to the police station and registered a case against 37 people. In the FIR written by him, it was said that around 2 o’clock in the afternoon, a crowd of 5 to 6 thousand people had also attacked the police. In response, the police released tear gas shells, but the crowd was not controlled.

Kumher police station had made 37 people accused in its report.

30 rounds were also fired to stop the rioters. But within a short time the mob completely set fire to 50 to 60 houses. More than 250 houses were set on fire. A total of 7 people including two unidentified people were killed. SHO Rajkaran Singh had registered a case against 37 people involved in the crowd under sections 147, 148, 149, 323, 307, 302, 436, 427 and 3 of the SC/ST Act. Immediately after the case was registered, its investigation was handed over to DSP Lokesh Kumar of Range Office.

Uproar across the country, investigation handed over to CBI after 20 days

The ‘Kumher incident’ had created a stir in the country’s politics. Then everyone from Ram Vilas Paswan to Mayawati and almost all the Dalit leaders of the country had reached Kumher. Regarding this matter, he had raised his voice against the massacre in Parliament and Assembly as well as on the streets. Such was the pressure that 20 days after the incident, with the consent of the state government, the investigation of this case was handed over to CBI on 26 June 1992.

On August 27, 1993, after receiving prosecution sanction from the state government, the CBI presented the charge sheet in the case. In its charge sheet, CBI has registered cases against 87 people under sections 147, 148, 149, 323, 324, 325, 326, 380, 451, 427, 429, 435, 302, 436, 354 and 153 A and 3 of SC/ST Act. Charges were presented in 3 different sections.

The brutality of the riots came to light in the CBI investigation.

CBI in its investigation admitted that the caste violence that broke out in Kumher on June 6 was a result of the dispute that took place in the cinema hall on June 1. After this, Dalits and people of other classes started coming face to face at different places in Kumher. Fighting took place at many places. After this, chaos was also created at Kumher bus station.

In protest against this, on June 6, people from other castes had called a Mahapanchayat outside the Chamunda Mata Temple in Pangor. The mob proceeded towards Kumher and killed 16 Dalits. The bodies of 5 of these have not been identified till date.

The crowd that came out of the Mahapanchayat killed people like this

• Veedo’s wife Ramdayal: A mob of rioters entered her house in Bada Mohalla of Kumher and killed her. There were 7 injuries on his body. The post mortem report revealed that these injuries were the cause of his death.
• Ramkhiladi and his wife Longo: Ramkhiladi and his wife Longo were working in the field. Then a crowd of rioters reached there. Here the mob surrounded them, beat them up and killed both of them. Investigation also revealed that in the same field the mob had crossed the limits of obscenity by stripping two Dalit women naked. Both women are still alive.
• Raghuveer son Habba: On the day of the riots, Raghuveer had come to the in-laws house of his only daughter Rambhaji in Bada Mohalla of Kumher. He was killed by rioters in a room in his daughter’s house. There were 5 injuries on his body. The condition of the dead body was such that it could not be identified at first. He was identified as Mawasi’s son Roshan but was later found alive in Mawasi Hospital. Only after this was his correct identification possible.
• Bhagwat’s son Parbhati: After the riot broke out, Bhagwat was running towards the fields to escape from the crowd. The crowd caught him midway. Bhagwat was badly injured after the fight. He was admitted to the hospital in the evening but by night he died.
• Kaila Putra Kare: Kaila was killed by a mob of rioters who entered the room on the first floor of his son’s house in Bada Mohalla Kumher.
• Habbal son of Kirori: Habbal was killed by the mob when he was seeking shelter from the people near his fields. But no one helped him. The mob first beat him and then burnt him alive.
• Nathilal son of Marua: Nathilal was a peon in Deeg School. He was going to his village just before the riots broke out. During this time, when he reached near Chamunda Mata temple, he saw a big crowd coming. He sought refuge from Chhidda in his nearby house but did not get help. After this he ran towards the tube well of Badami Jatav where he was caught by the mob. After a severe beating, he was left there dead. After this, when the crowd was returning from Kumher, Natthilal, who was lying in a half-dead condition, was burnt alive.
• Gopali son Budha: Gopali was hiding in the empty house of a person named Mohinder of Kumher. But the mob caught him there and killed him by attacking him with a sharp weapon.
• Durgiram son Chetaram: Durgiram was surrounded by the mob in his oil mill located at Deeg Gate Kumher. There he was severely beaten. He was admitted to the hospital in an injured condition late in the evening. He died during treatment on June 20.

Ramswaroop was burnt alive.

• Buddhiram: Buddhiram, a resident of Bada Mohalla of Kumher, was running to save his life. Although he was also associated with some rioters. Despite this, he was burnt alive by the rioters. Only a small part of his leg was saved, apart from this the entire body was turned into ashes.

A stick was inserted into a woman’s private part in front of her husband.

When a woman (identity withheld) resident of Sainthri village was running away from the village with her husband and relatives, a mob surrounded her and beat her up in the fields near Kumher town. Here a crowd of rioters put sticks in his private parts. Another woman’s clothes were torn.

Statements of 283 people, CBI made 87 accused in the case

After taking statements of 283 people, CBI completed the investigation and made a total of 87 people accused. Chargesheet against them under sections 147, 148, 149, 323, 324, 325, 326, 380, 451, 427, 429, 435, 302, 436, 354 and 153 A and 3 different sections of SC/ST Act. Was presented.

36 accused died even before the verdict, one accused still absconding

During the hearing of the case, even before the verdict, Surajmal, Pushpendra, Captain Maharaj Singh, Jagdish Prasad Jha, Kailash, Jagdish, Manohari, Dawoodyal, Gulab Singh, Prem Singh, Rajveer Singh, Badan Singh, Bhup Singh, Chhetar Singh, Amoli, Roshan Singh, Arjun Singh, Sovran Singh. , Gulab Singh, Budha, Kanchan Singh, Sohanlal, Ramkishan, Karan Singh, Hardam, Umed Singh, Srichand, Jagram, Chandalal, Karan Singh, Kamal Singh, Bachchu, Sujan Singh, Puran, Kamal Singh and Chatar Singh died. Another accused Mahesh son of Mangaturam could not be caught by the police, due to which he was declared a fugitive.

Accused in police custody after getting punishment from the court.

Out of 234 witnesses, 49 witnesses turned hostile, 20 judges changed in 31 years

During the hearing, 234 oral witnesses were presented in the court on behalf of CBI. Of these, 49 witnesses proved to be hostile by their statements given in the court. At the same time, CBI had also presented 427 documentary evidences in the investigation. During the hearing of the case and before the verdict, 12 investigating officers and 20 judges were changed.

41 accused acquitted, 9 accused sentenced to life imprisonment

In this case, despite many of the eyewitnesses presented by the CBI turning hostile in the court, the court gave its verdict after 31 years on the basis of the statements of the remaining eyewitnesses and the facts and evidence related to the case. Bharatpur’s SC/ST Court special judge Girija Bhardwaj found 9 accused guilty out of the 50 accused who remained alive. Whereas 41 accused were acquitted after taking benefit of doubt.

The court booked 9 accused Lakho son of Ramsingh, Rajveer son of Fondi, Shiv Singh son of Ramsingh, Mansingh son of Bhamri, Gopal son of Udayram, Pritamsingh son of Giriraj Singh, Paras Jain son of Manakchand Jain, Chetan son of Jaisingh and Premsingh son of Vedo Singh under section 148, 302/ 149, 304/149, 323/149, 324/149, 325/149, 326/149, 435/149, 436/149, 429/149, 451/149, 380/149, 153A/149 and SC/ST Act. Pleaded guilty under sections 3 (2)(3), 3 (2)(4) and 3 (2)(5) of IPC.

Moti Singh, who was acquitted in this case, said that his name was forcibly written.

Why did it take 31 years for the decision to come?

Advocate Rajendra Srivastava said that it took a long time of 31 years for the first judgment in this case. There were many reasons behind this. Firstly, there were 283 witnesses in this case. It took a lot of time to summon all the witnesses and take their testimony. The second reason was the death of 36 criminals during the trial.

Whenever a criminal died in a case, his death certificate had to be presented in the court. Which takes a lot of time. In this case this process was done 36 times. Every time the trial got delayed due to this. Apart from this, the Public Prosecutor of CBI was also absent several times. Many times such a situation arose that witnesses were present in the court but the CBI public prosecutor did not arrive. Many times the prosecutor arrived and the witnesses could not arrive.

Same was the condition of government witnesses and documentary records related to this case. The third biggest reason for delay in this case was the change of more than 20 judges. All these reasons are due to the judgment coming in this case after a long time of 31 years.

The court wrote in the decision – ‘An attempt was made to destroy humanity in Kumher’

Commenting in the verdict, special judge of Bharatpur’s SC/ST court, Girija Bhardwaj, wrote that on June 6, 1992, the rioters in Kumher, showing caste animosity, had tried to destroy humanity by arson.

He wrote these lines in his judgment…

‘If the future was created by fire, palaces would have stood in place of those huts in which fire was set.

Flames had risen and many lives had been lost like Swaha, Dhoop and Google.

These prayers, which are sung by great leaders and great leaders, have lost their meaning.

‘Weep a lot of tears when there is a fire, make announcements in public places’

‘Can provide heat to the body in cold weather, fire has many uses.

But in the future of huts there is only fire which burns, destroys, a weak

‘Fire at the same time, many losses and profits at the same time’

Courtesy: Dainik Bhaskar

Note: This news piece was originally published in dainikbhaskar.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Right