Patna HC acquits all 26 convicts in Laxmanpur Bathe massacre

Terming the court acquittal as “massacre of justice to poorest of the poor”, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said the party would move the Supreme Court against the Patna High Court verdict.

He said the CPI-ML would also appeal to the apex court to appoint a special investigation team (SIT) on the lines of the one that probed the 2002 Gujarat riots for giving justice to victims of massacre cases in Bihar.

”The Supreme Court should take cognizance of the acquittal of the massacre convicts and order an impartial probe under its direct supervision,” he said.

Of those acquitted, 16 were sentenced to death and 10 were awarded life imprisonment in 2010 by the Additional District and Sessions Judge of Patna.