An Indian court has acquitted all 32 people who had been accused of crimes in a 1992 attack and demolition of a 16th century mosque that sparked Hindu-Muslim violence leaving some 2,000 people dead.
Four senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party had been among the accused at the trial that languished in India’s sluggish legal system for almost 28 years.
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An Indian court has acquitted all 32 people who had been accused of crimes in a 1992 attack and demolition of a 16th century mosque that sparked Hindu-Muslim violence leaving some 2,000 people dead.
The verdict Wednesday follows a ruling by India’s Supreme Court last year favoring the building of a Hindu temple on a disputed site in Ayodhya.
Policemen stand guard outside a court in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted all 32 accused, including four senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, in a 1992 attack and demolition of a 16th century mosque that sparked Hindu-Muslim violence that left some 2,000 people dead. (AP PhotoRajesh Kumar Singh)
Hindu hardliner Sadhvi Ritambhara, an accused in the 1992 attack and demolition of a 16th century mosque, leaves for a court in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted all 32 accused, including four senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, in the case. The demolition sparked Hindu-Muslim violence that left some 2,000 people dead. (AP PhotoRajesh Kumar Singh)
POlicemen stand guard outside a court in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted all 32 accused, including four senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, in a 1992 attack and demolition of a 16th century mosque that sparked Hindu-Muslim violence that left some 2,000 people dead. (AP PhotoRajesh Kumar Singh)
The four party leaders were accused of making inflammatory speeches that incited followers ahead of the attack. The four have said that the mosque’s demolition was spontaneous.
Acharya Dharmendra Dev, an accused in the 1992 attack and demolition of a 16th century mosque, leaves for a court in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted all 32 accused, including four senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, in the case. The demolition sparked Hindu-Muslim violence that left some 2,000 people dead. (AP PhotoRajesh Kumar Singh)
The verdict Wednesday follows a ruling by India’s Supreme Court last year favoring the building of a Hindu temple on a disputed site in Ayodhya.
policemen stand guard outside a court in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted all 32 accused, including four senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, in a 1992 attack and demolition of a 16th century mosque that sparked Hindu-Muslim violence that left some 2,000 people dead. (AP PhotoRajesh Kumar Singh)
Policemen stand guard outside a court in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted all 32 accused, including four senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, in a 1992 attack and demolition of a 16th century mosque that sparked Hindu-Muslim violence that left some 2,000 people dead. (AP PhotoRajesh Kumar Singh)
Hindu hardliner Sadhvi Ritambhara, an accused in the 1992 attack and demolition of a 16th century mosque, leaves for a court in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted all 32 accused, including four senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, in the case. The demolition sparked Hindu-Muslim violence that left some 2,000 people dead. (AP PhotoRajesh Kumar Singh)
POlicemen stand guard outside a court in Lucknow, India, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted all 32 accused, including four senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, in a 1992 attack and demolition of a 16th century mosque that sparked Hindu-Muslim violence that left some 2,000 people dead. (AP PhotoRajesh Kumar Singh)