Balrampur: Additional District Judge of the District and Sessions Court on Monday found 41 persons, including two former chairmen of Utraula Nagar Parishad, guilty of communal riots that took place in Utraula town 17 years ago. The court sentenced 39 convicts to five years of imprisonment.
Of the 41 convicts, 39 were sent to jail. While one accused has been absconding and the other convict has been admitted to a hospital. Whereas the 17 others were acquitted by the court in the absence of sufficient evidence against them. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on each convict.
Read: Violence Does Not Impact Community Bonds in Areas on UP-Delhi Border
On March 26, 2005, communal violence took place during the Holi procession in the Utraula area. In which a case was registered on both sides under various sections. In the entire case, the chargesheet was filed by the police in the court naming 65 accused. Public Prosecutor while briefing reporters about the case said, "In 2005, communal riots broke out in Utraula town during the Holi procession. The FIR was registered against 64 accused in the case and before the filing of the charge sheet, one accused had died.
Whereas five other accused died while the trial in the case was underway. The court found 41 persons belonging to both communities guilty of the crime and they were sentenced to five years in jail. The convicts were awarded punishment by the court under Section 436 of the IPC. The court also slapped a sum of Rs 5,000 as a fine on each accused."
