Sixteen get death sentence in Laxmanpur-Bathe carnage of 1997

All the accused, who were sentenced to death by a Bihar court for their involvement in the Jehanabad carnage in 1997 when 58 unarmed dalits were killed by the Ranbir Sena, a private militia of landlords, have been taken to jail by police in Patna on April 7, 2010.

Ten others were sentenced to life terms and also slapped with a fine of Rs 31,000 each by Additional District Judge Vijay Prakash Mishra.

As many as 58 dalits were gunned down by the Ranvir Sena at Laxmanpur-Bathe village in Jehanabad on December 1, 1997, sending shockwaves across the country.
The victims, landless agricultural workers and their families, were supporters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Party Unity. Among those killed were 27 women and 16 children. The victims were from the backward communities of Paswan, Chamar, Mahto, Mallah, Rajwar and Barbar.
Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui