Khairlanji: the trial still drags on, a year later
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/28/stories/2007092855751500.htm Meena Menon Bhandara (Maharashtra): A year after the Khairlanji massacre in which four members of his family were brutally killed, Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange is in the centre of a different storm. On September 29, 2006, Bhotmange's wife Surekha, his daughter Priyanka and sons Roshan and Sudhir were stripped and bludgeoned to death in Khairlanji village in Bhandara district by a mob which dumped their bodies into the Pench canal. The killing of the Dalits sparked off violent protests all over the State prompting the government to order a CBI inquiry. An ad hoc sessions court in Bhandara is conducting the trial since May and 12 of the 68 witnesses have already been examined. However, the case is not proceeding on a day-to-day basis as no special court has been appointed. Bhaiyyalal, the surviving member of the family, is a changed man today. After initially refusing to take up the job the government offered, he now works as a peon in the Babasaheb Ambedkar boys' hostel in Bhandara with a salary of Rs. 5,300 a month. He has disowned his relatives with whom he used to stay in Varthi near Bhandara and has taken up residence since January with Dilip Uke of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a local panchayat member. Acrimony This led to much acrimony between him and his relatives and his former neighbours from Dusala village apart from activists who had supported him after the incident occurred. Activists like Milind Phuljale say that the NCP is keeping Bhaiyyalal under its wing so that he does not expose the real people behind this massacre. Mr. Uke on the other hand says that Bhaiyyalal's relatives are grabbing his money and he does not trust them anymore. "I have suffered a lot for letting Bhaiyyalal stay with me. People are saying I am a government agent. I am only helping the poor man," he said. This unseemly tug of war with Bhaiyyalal in the centre has been going on ever since the massacre happened. Bhaiyyal, who demanded a house from the government, has just refused it. According to official sources, he was allotted a house from the Chief Minister's quota. The Social Welfare Department had set aside Rs.1.10 lakh for a house for Bhaiyyalal. He had written to the government saying he wanted a house in Bhandara since he was working there and was willing to put in the remaining amount. According to the government, he had to pay Rs.1.13 lakh more which would be collected in monthly instalments of Rs.1,300. However, when the Collector called a meeting to hand over the house to him earlier this week, Bhaiyyalal refused to pay the remaining amount and said that he must get the house free of cost. The Collector had now made a fresh proposal to the government with this demand. At the boys' hostel in Bhandara, Bhaiyyalal's name is on the black board listing the names of employees. He was first appointed as a chowkidar but after protests, he was re-designated a peon. He has a personal security guard. Asked why he took up the job, Bhaiyyalal said, "I did not want to sit idle. I cannot live in Khairlanji and I needed to do something," he said. He has given his land at Khairlanji on contract for Rs. 12,000 a year. The government did not set up a special court for the trial. The trial is proceeding very slowly, he said. Some of the real accused have not yet been caught and all those arrested should not have been discharged, he alleged. He also launched a personal attack on his nephew Rashtrapal Narnavre, with whom he used to stay in Varthi before he moved to Mr. Uke's house. He now accuses Mr. Rashtrapal of withdrawing money from his bank account and using it for his personal gain. "They are after my money. I have nothing to do with these people," he said. Apart from disowning Mr. Rashtrapal and his family, he is nasty about Rajendra, an eyewitness to the incident, and his brother Siddharth Gajbhiye who were once friends of the family. Surekha Bhotmange and her daughter Priyanka were witness to an assault on Siddharth by villagers from Khairlanji who resented his frequent visits. They also gave the names of the attackers to the police who arrested them. It was on September 29 morning that these arrested villagers were released on bail. They decided to take revenge on Siddharth and his brother Rajendra and went looking for them. They came to Khairlanji when their fury was directed towards the Bhotmange family. Now Bhaiyyalal blames them for the entire incident. "If it was not for them, my family would be alive," he said. However, it was at Siddharth's house at Dusala that Bhaiyyalal hid that night when he ran away fearing for his life. It was the Gajbhiye brothers who called the police too. Rajendra is not on the list of witnesses the CBI has submitted to the court.
