M A I N   N E W S

Bus Burning Case
Death for three Jaya men, 7-yr RI for 25
Arup Chanda
Tribune News Service

Chennai, February 16
Three All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) men were sentenced to death by the Salem Sessions Court today and 25 others to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment in the sensational bus burning case seven years ago.

First Additional Sessions Judge D. Krishnaraja held the former AIADMK Dharmapuri town unit secretary Nedunchezhiyan, former MGR forum functionary Ravichandran and former panchayat president P. Muniappan guilty of murder and attempt to murder and various other charges and sentenced them to death. 25 other AIADMK workers were also found guilty for their complicity in the crime and sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and fined. The 28 men can appeal to a higher court against this verdict within a month.

A high alert has been sounded all over Tamil Nadu following today's sentencing apprehending violence by AIADMK workers. The AIADMK has remained silent since the verdict has come as a huge embarrassment for the party which was routed during the last Assembly poll.

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is yet to welcome the verdict as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi is, on principle, against death penalties.

However, DMK leaders and party workers have reason to rejoice and be upbeat and take this case to the people to belittle their political opponent ,the AIADMK.

The bus carrying students of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, was returning after a study tour and while passing through Dharmapuri town on February 2, 2000, it was torched by angry AIADMK workers who were protesting against the sentencing of Ms Jayaram Jayalalithaa in a corruption case.

The mob doused the bus with petrol even when the passengers were inside it and did not even let them alight. While some of the students could escape from the blazing bus, three students were trapped inside and charred to death while 18 others suffered burn injuries.

There was a total of 31 men who were accused in the case but two were acquitted while one died during the impending trial.

The case was being initially heard by a court in Krishnagiri and was about to be closed as 20 witnesses turned hostile. However, the father of one victim Mr Veeraswamy, moved the Madras High Court which transferred the case to the Salem court during the previous AIADMK regime.

The high court also appointed senior advocate R. Srinivasan as Special Public Prosecutor but the then government took over 15 months to issue the notification on it.

After today’s pronouncement, Mr Srinivasan said that justice had been delivered though pressure had been exerted on him from interested quarters and he had been receiving threatening phone calls while he was arguing the case.

A total of 123 prosecution witnesses and two court witnesses, including the then TNAU Vice-Chancellor and Dharmapuri Collector, were examined.

Despite pleas by the students and teachers not to harm innocent students, the bus was burnt. Among the witnesses examined in the court were teachers of the TNAU who had accompanied the students and they were bold enough to identify the accused in front of a magistrate.

The gory incident had led to protests against the AIADMK, which was known for its track record of indulging in violence at the slightest pretext among the student community all over Tamil Nadu then.