11 Acquitted in 2022 Khargone Violence as Eyewitnesses Fail to Identify Accused

A sessions court in Madhya Pradesh has acquitted 11 men accused in the 2022 Khargone Ram Navami violence, after the prosecution's case collapsed when eight of its 11 eyewitnesses failed to identify any of the accused. Forensic analysis also failed to establish the alleged use of petrol bombs or explosives.

The violence occurred on April 10, 2022, during Ram Navami processions in Khargone. According to the prosecution, mobs armed with stones, swords, and petrol bombs attacked houses in the Bhatwadi locality, setting homes and motorcycles on fire and damaging property. One man, Idris Khan, was killed.

The men charged—Ibadat, Sadiq, Abdullah, Saheb alias Shahib, Sheryar, Faizal, Azam, Shabbir, Imran, Mustaq, and Rajik—faced accusations of rioting, arson, house trespass, and offences under the Explosive Substances Act.

Following the violence, the district administration demolished 16 houses and 29 shops in five localities. Then Home Minister Narottam Mishra remarked, “Jis ghar se patthar aaye hain, us ghar ko hi pattharon ka dher banayenge” (We will turn houses from which stones were thrown into a heap of rubble).

In a detailed judgment on Monday, Fourth Additional Sessions Judge Mukesh Nath held that the prosecution's case failed on identification. The court noted that no test identification parade was conducted, and the police offered no explanation for how they selected the accused from a mob of about 50 people.

The judgment recorded that eight prosecution witnesses, including complainants and victims, “did not support the prosecution story.” The court stated, “None of these eight witnesses identified any of the accused; none stated that any accused had committed any act constituting the incident; no substantive evidence emerged in their testimonies against any accused.” Even after the witnesses were declared hostile, the prosecution derived no benefit.

The case largely rested on a local resident, Vaishnavi Jain, who identified all 11 accused. However, the court found her evidence “riddled with contradictions.” Her father, Dinesh Jain, and brother, Akash Jain, both stated that rioters had their faces covered. Akash told the court he could not identify the persons because their faces were covered. The judge noted that Dinesh Jain admitted viewing the crowd from 500–600 metres away, had not seen the accused from the front, and had no prior acquaintance with them. He also accepted that the rioters covered their faces and ultimately said “he could not say who…”.

The court concluded that “the involvement of the accused persons in the offence is neither disclosed nor proved in any manner.” The acquittal underscores the importance of credible identification and forensic evidence in criminal trials.