Chhattisgarh: Special court acquits tribal activist Soni Sori, 3 others in Naxal payoff case

A special court at Dantewada in Chhattisgarh has acquitted tribal activist Soni Sori and three others in a case lodged against them in 2011 for alleged transfer of 'protection money' to Naxals.

Dantewada:The social worker Soni Sori, his nephew Lingaram Kodopi along with construction contractor BK Lala and the then Essar company official DVCS Verma have been acquitted by a special court in the Dantewada district in a case lodged against them in 2011, regarding the transaction of money between Essar and Naxalites.

In the verdict, Special Judge Vinod Kumar Devangan has also ordered to return the amount seized by the police to the contractor BK Lala.

According to the claim of the police, the sub-inspector Umesh Sahu, in charge of Kuakonda police station of Dantewada district, had received information from an informer that BK Lala is going to give Rs 15 lakh to the Naxalites on behalf of Essar Company near Palnar weekly market through Lingaram Kodopi and Soni Sori on September 9, 2011.

On the basis of this information, Sub-Inspector Umesh Sahu was hiding around Palnar's weekly market in plain clothes along with Humrah staff when contractor BK Lala came to the market in his Bolero (CG 18 H 0968) and gave Rs 15 lakh to Linga Kodopi and Soni Sori. The police caught the accused BK Lala and Linga on the spot. Soni Sori who went missing in the market due to the chaos was arrested on October 4, 2011 in New Delhi.

Later in a press conference, Dantewada Superintendent of Police, Ankit Garg claimed that on behalf of the Essar Company, BK Lala has given a huge amount of money to the Naxalites so that they would not obstruct their business.

Police added that BK Lala was asked by DVCS Verma, General Manager of Essar Company, to deliver money to the Naxalites, therefore an installment amount of Rs 15 lakh had come to the Naxalites through accused Soni Sori and Linga Kodopi.

Sori and Kodopi were arrested on charges of acting as Maoist conduits who had allegedly received 'protection money' for the rebels from the company. They were booked under Indian Penal Code section 124 (A) (sedition), 121 (waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against Government of India), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), provisions of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act.

Sori, who hails from Dantewada, said, "I was implicated in false cases. I had to fight for over a decade to prove myself innocent. I was a school teacher and these false cases ruined my life, my dignity, and my family had to suffer".

(With agency inputs)