Phulbani: Orissa BJP MLA Manoj Pradhan has been convicted in the 2008 Kandhamal communal riots case. He has been sentenced to six years in prison by a fast track court.
Pradhan was convicted for his involvement in the murder of one Bikram Nayak and for inciting communal violence.
Pradhan, who is the sitting MLA from the communally sensitive Udayagiri constituency, had 12 cases registered against him for his alleged involvement in the riots, which claimed 38 lives. Pradhan said he would appeal in the High Court.
Fast track court-II judge C R Das convicted Pradhan for the murder of Nayak, a Christian from Budedipada of Tiangia village under Raikia police station limits on August 26, 2008.
He was convicted under section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of IPC.
The judge also slapped a fine of Rs 15,500 on the convict for setting ablaze houses of people belonging to the minority community and inciting communal violence.
Though Pradhan's name was initially not in the FIR filed at the Raikia police station, his involvement in the killing came to light during the investigation.
At least 12 cases were registered against Pradhan for his alleged involvement in the riots in Kandhamal, which claimed at least 38 lives in the aftermath of the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati.
Of the 12 cases, Pradhan has been convicted in two murder cases and acquitted in seven others relating to arson and rioting. Three more cases are pending against him.
Pradhan was a close disciple of Saraswati, whose killing on August 23, 2008, had sparked off large-scale violence in Kandhamal and other parts of Orissa.
This was the second case in which Pradhan, arrested from Berhampur in December 2008, has been convicted. He was the lone candidate to win the 2009 assembly elections while in jail.
With PTI inputs
Comments
0 comment