1 week ago
Khargone Riot Trials End in Acquittals as Cases Stall
Violence broke out in Khargone during Ram Navami celebrations in April 2022.
One person died and more than two dozen people, including a senior police officer, were injured.
Police filed 65 cases and arrested or accused many people.
So far, three cases have finished in court, and all ended with the accused being found not guilty.
Judges said witnesses often could not identify the accused or changed their statements.
They also said police did not clearly explain how some people became suspects.
Laboratory tests in two cases did not find fuel chemicals in the damaged materials.
Many other cases are still moving slowly because suspects have not been found, forensic reports are pending, and witnesses struggle to remember events from four years ago.
Three Khargone riot cases that completed trial ended in acquittal, including the July 27 case involving 11 men.
Courts cited hostile or unreliable witnesses, investigation gaps, unexplained accused additions, and inadequate electronic evidence.
Forensic tests found no petrol, diesel, or kerosene residues in materials linked to two arson cases.
Police said four cases were closed for lack of evidence, while 38 remained under investigation and about 85 accused had not been traced.
Prosecution officials attributed delays to missing forensic reports, absent accused, witness difficulties, and the passage of time.
- Who
- Eleven men were acquitted in the latest case; police and prosecutors are pursuing dozens of other cases involving the 2022 violence.
- What
- Trials linked to the Khargone Ram Navami violence are ending in acquittals or progressing slowly.
- Where
- Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, including Bhatwadi Mohalla and Anand Nagar.
- When
- The violence occurred on April 10, 2022; the reported acquittals were issued on June 13, 2025, October 14, 2025, and July 27, 2026.
- Why
- Courts found that the prosecution had not proved the accused persons' involvement beyond reasonable doubt, while police cited missing evidence, absconding accused, pending forensic reports, and witness-related difficulties.
Police and Prosecution Explanations
Court Findings and Accused Families
Why the cases are moving slowly
Police and Prosecution Explanations
Police and prosecutors said suspects have generic names or no addresses, many residents have fled, forensic reports remain pending, and witnesses struggle to recall events after four years.
Court Findings and Accused Families
The courts found that delays and evidentiary gaps weakened the prosecution, including unexplained additions of accused people and late or unsupported witness statements.
Witness testimony
Police and Prosecution Explanations
A special public prosecutor said witnesses may have turned hostile because they live in the same locality and want to move on; officials also cited difficulties protecting large numbers of witnesses.
Court Findings and Accused Families
Judges found that many witnesses did not identify the accused, while testimony supporting identification was considered unreliable or contradicted by other witnesses.
Consequences of the prosecutions
Police and Prosecution Explanations
The government had promised strict action against those involved, and police said they were trying to locate accused people and speed up trials.
Court Findings and Accused Families
Families of the acquitted said lengthy imprisonment and legal proceedings caused debt, interrupted children’s schooling, financial hardship, and continuing emotional distress.
Key facts
- Cases registered
- 65 cases were registered after the violence.
- Completed trials
- Three riot cases have completed trial, and all ended in acquittal.
- Latest acquittal
- Eleven men were acquitted on July 27, 2026, on charges including rioting, arson, house trespass, and Explosive Substances Act violations.
- Cases under investigation
- Khargone police said 38 FIRs remained under investigation, with roughly 85 accused yet to be found.
- Evidence-stage cases
- Twenty cases were at the stage where prosecution witnesses were being examined.
- Forensic findings
- The Sagar laboratory found no petrol, diesel, or kerosene residues in exhibits from two arson-related cases.
- Property demolitions
- The administration razed 16 houses in affected localities, linking the demolitions to irregularities.
Quotes
Shivraj Chouhan
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister who commented after the 2022 violence.
“We are facing difficulty as the accused names are generic, without any father’s name or address. Incidents happened at 13 spots and we can’t blindly implicate people. We have to match faces with the CCTV footage and CDR (Call Detail Record) details.”
indianexpress.com
“none of these eight witnesses identified any of the accused…; no substantive evidence emerged in their testimonies against any accused”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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