Court convicts 15 persons in Ara hooch tragedy case of Dec 2012

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara : Additional District and Sessions Judge I, Ara, Ramesh Chandra Dwivedi on July 24, 2018,   convicted 15 people in a hooch tragedy case in which 21 Mahadalits had died at Ara in Bhojpur district in December 2012. The quantum of punishment would be announced on July 26, 2018.
While 14 named accused were convicted under various sections of IPC, 47 Excise Act and also under SC/ST Act, the 15^th accused in the case Bhashkar Sinha was held guilty under section 47 of the Excise Act. All the 15 convicts were sent to jail under judicial custody.

Bhojpur district administration had made tight security arrangement on Ara Civil Court premises since early morning in view of the announcement of verdict in the hooch tragedy case.

Bhojpur SP Awakash Kumar said that at least 21 persons including five women, all belonging to the Mahadalit community at Anaith locality under Nawada police station, Ara, had died after consuming hooch on December 7, 2012. The casualty was reported for three consecutive days. He said the police had brought 21 bodies to Ara Sadar Hospital for post-mortem and so death of only 21 persons was recorded.

The SP said that two separate FIRs were lodged with Nawada police station against 15 persons in connection with the hooch tragedy. The 15 accused included Pappu Chaudhary, Manoj Yadav, Mohan Sah, Rakesh Kumar, Sanjay Singh, Gautam Kumar, Babloo, Sanjay Singh, Chini alias Chunnu, Anil Kumar, Chunnu Kumar, Nand Kishor Yadav, Bali and Bijay Kumar. Police had also arrested four unnamed accused: Manoj Sudhi of Mirganj, Upendra of Mathwalia, Sanjay Bahadur and Saroj Prasad of Anaith locality and sent them to jail.

Later, police submitted chargesheet in the court against 15 persons on February 4, 2013, and statement of altogether 69 persons was recorded in the court during trial. The SP further said that police had sent to the police headquarter proposals of attachment of properties of four liquor traders  – worth Rs 41 lakh of Sanjay Singh, Rs 1 crore of Rakesh Singh, Rs 18 lakh of Mantu Singh, and Rs 17 lakh of Bharat Yadav.