Dhanbad, July 11: A special MP/MLA court in Dhanbad has convicted 28 people, including former Jharkhand Animal Husbandry Minister and former Congress MLA Mannan Mallik, in the 2011 Matkuria firing case, bringing to a close a trial that lasted nearly 15 years.
The court of Special Judge Dinesh Chandra Awasthi sentenced all 28 convicts to three years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on each.
The court, however, granted them 30 days of conditional bail to enable them to challenge the verdict before a higher court.
The case relates to an incident on April 27, 2011, when the district administration launched an anti-encroachment drive to remove illegal structures from Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) land in Matkuria, Dhanbad.
The eviction operation triggered violent clashes between protesters and the police.
During the violence, the then Dhanbad Superintendent of Police R.K. Dhan sustained injuries in stone-pelting, while firing during the unrest claimed the lives of four people, including Vikas Singh.
Following a complaint by the then Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), police registered an FIR and launched an investigation. After completing the probe, a chargesheet was filed against 38 accused.
During the course of the trial, proceedings against several accused, including former minister Baccha Singh, former minister O.P. Lal, former Dhanbad Mayor Neeraj Singh, Uday Singh, and Ashok Yadav, were dropped following their deaths. One accused, Dilip Kumar, was declared an absconder.
Among those convicted are Mannan Mallik, his son Hubban Mallik, and 26 others. As some convicts could not immediately furnish the required bail bonds, Mannan Mallik and Hubban Mallik were taken into judicial custody, while two other convicts were also sent to jail.
The verdict marks a significant development in one of Dhanbad’s longest-running criminal cases. The convicted individuals have the legal right to appeal the judgment before a higher court within the period allowed by the trial court.
