After more than three decades, a district court in Darbhanga has handed down life imprisonment to five individuals for the Patori massacre that occurred on August 8, 1994, resulting in two deaths and eight injuries. The conflict, arising from a land dispute between neighbors, led to large-scale violence, shocking the community at the time. Public Prosecutor Amarendra Narayan Jha revealed that armed men from Basant village attacked farmers from Patori village at Gunsar Pond, leading to serious injuries and casualties.
The assailants, armed with axes, spears, and guns, surrounded the farmers as they watered their cattle, attempting to forcibly take the animals. When the farmers resisted, the attackers resorted to indiscriminate firing, leaving ten individuals with severe gunshot wounds. Two victims, Ramkripal Chaudhary and Rampukar Chaudhary, succumbed to their injuries, while eight others received treatment for bullet wounds at Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital.
The court trial identified Kausar Imam Hashmi, Ambar Imam Hashmi, Raja Hashmi, and others as directly involved in the crime, with one accused absconding. Despite the long legal process, the court convicted five individuals, including a prominent advocate and a former public prosecutor, sentencing them to life imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 5 lakh each. The families of the victims have finally received justice after 31 years through the court’s verdict.
