[Reader-list] napm statement on laxmanpur bathe

[Asit Das]

Acquittal in Laxmanpur Bathe Massacre, a Complete Failure of Criminal
Justice System in India

14th October, 2013: NAPM expresses its Outrage over the Judgment of Patna
High Court on Laxmanpur Bathe Massacre of 1997, in which 58 Dalits
including 27 women and 16 children were killed allegedly by members of the
Ranbir Sena, a private militia of landlords. All the 26 accused in this
case, who were convicted on April, 2010 by the session’s judge, are
acquitted now on the basis of the ‘benefit of the doubt’ by the High Court.

It’s shocking and a complete failure of Criminal Justice System in India;
that even after 16 years of the massacre, the victims’ families have no
justice. The mishandling of the case by prosecution, “Myopic Attitude” of
Political Parties towards the incident, have all colluded resulting in this
Injustice. It’s even more appalling that the entire case was not even
reported by mainstream media, which gave more space to sensationalism than
real people’s issues.

Appealing against the Judgment in Supreme Court, by the Bihar Government,
is not enough. NAPM demands that the state government must provide
protection for the Victims’ families from any further incidents and must
ensure speedy and full justice to them.

This entire episode, reminds us about the need to reform our judicial
system that needs to be made more democratic and representative. NAPM also
Demands that Justice Amir Das commission be reinstated at the earliest and
the government must act on its recommendations in transparent and effective
manner. We also demand that a transparent commission of legal experts to be
formed and facilitated to ensure that justice is delivered in Supreme Court.

Kamayani Swamy, Ashish Ranjan, Mahendra Yadav, Saraswati Kavula,
Ramakrishna Raju,
Sudhir Vombetekere, Gabriele Dietrich, Seela M, Shashank Rajwadi, Madhuresh
Kumars