Nabarangpur: Nearly a decade after the sensational Baunsabeda triple murder and arson incident in Nabarangpur district, a court in Umerkote on Saturday convicted 19 persons and sentenced them to life imprisonment in the case.
The Additional District Judge Court in Umerkote pronounced the verdict in connection with the 2016 violence in Baunsabeda village under Neura Gram Panchayat, which had triggered widespread tension in the region.
The convicted persons are Dayan Bhatra, Yogendra Bhatra, Debnath Kumbhar, Somanath Bhatra, Devi Singh Majhi, Parshuram Bhatra, Matu Bhatra, Buduram Bhatra, Budu Bhatra, Daitari Gaud, Raghu Bhatra, Ghasiram alias Ganja Harijan, Samaru alias Buti Bhatra, Madan Gaud, Kamallochana Bhatra, Nand Bhatra, Urdhab Bhatra, Ramesh Bhatra and Ravi Bhatra.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹20,000 each on the convicts, while one accused was fined ₹5,000.
Among those convicted is former BJD Umerkote block president Devi Singh Majhi, who was absent during the pronouncement of the judgment due to ill health. Seventeen convicts were present in court and were later sent to jail.
The verdict was delivered by Additional District Judge Sunita Pattnaik after a prolonged trial spanning nearly 10 years.
According to the prosecution, the violence erupted on July 16, 2016 over a land dispute in Baunsabeda village. Local tribal residents had opposed alleged cultivation of government land by Balram Harijan. Tension escalated after the Forest Department planted saplings on the land, which Balram was accused of uprooting.
When some villagers went to question him, violence broke out. The complaint alleged that Balram attacked Gurubaru Bhatra with a knife, while Ganapati Harijan allegedly slit the throat of Phagunu Bhatra, killing him on the spot. Gurubaru, who sustained critical injuries, was initially admitted to the Umerkote hospital and later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, where he died during treatment.
Following the killings, an enraged mob allegedly surrounded Balram’s house, pelted stones and set it ablaze. Balram was reportedly caught while trying to flee and was beaten to death by the mob.
Two separate cases were subsequently registered at the Umerkote police station in connection with the incident.
