Khargone violence: Tribunal orders 50 accused to pay over ₹7L in damages

Communal clashes erupted in Khargone city on Ram Navami on April 10, resulting in one death. During the violence, houses and shops were damaged and vehicles torched. A total of 220 people were arrested, of which 200 are still in prison.

The claim tribunal set up in connection with the Ram Navami violence in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone in April ordered the recovery of ₹7.46 lakh from 50 people accused by six complainants of causing damages to their property, officials said on Saturday.

The claim tribunal was set up in connection with the Ram Navami violence in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone in April this year. (Agencies)

Communal clashes erupted in Khargone city on Ram Navami on April 10, resulting in one death. During the violence, houses and shops were damaged and vehicles torched. A total of 220 people were arrested, of which 200 are still in prison.

To recover the losses incurred by the victims, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led state government set up its first claim tribunal within 48 hours of the incident.

The bench comprising retired district judge Shiv Kumar Mishra and retired IAS officer Prabhat Parashar released an order on Friday to recover damage to residents of Sanjay Nagar, Anil Jadhav ( ₹1.49 lakh), Mukhtiyar Khan ( ₹1.70 lakh), Anand Nagar resident Sawan Mukesh ( ₹60,000), and residents of Jamindar Mohalla, Sunil Sen ( ₹64,000), Vicky Gangle ( ₹60,000) and Zilawar Khan ( ₹2.43 lakh).

“The loss was evaluated by district administration within one week of the riots. The claim was decided as per the evaluation,” said tribunal member Prabhat Parashar. “Now, the accused have to submit the amount of loss within 15 days otherwise they have to pay 6% simple interest. They can also appeal in the court.”

The tribunal received 343 claim applications within three months of the incident, but it accepted only 34 of them. Three of them withdrew the application. Now, with tribunal order in six complaints, a total of 25 claim are pending.

District collector Kumar Purshottam said, “We will act as per law. If accused don’t move to the court and don’t pay money, we will recover it as per law.”

Advocate Sajid Pathan, defending more than a dozen people before the tribunal, said, “The tribunal didn’t pay attention to our plea. Many people are in jail and didn’t get a fair chance to present their side.”

Citing some examples, Pathan said, “The law came into existence to recover the loss of property, but here the tribunal also included expenses over medical treatment for recovery. There are so many anomalies, so we will move to the court.”