07 May,2009 02:34 PM IST | | PTI
Suspended State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) officer Manohar Kadam was on Thursday sentenced to life by a sessions court in the infamous Ramabai firing case, pertaining to the killing of 10 people.
Kadam has been convicted for culpable homicide amounting to murder and has been fined Rs 1,000. Sessions Judge S Y Kulkarni, while passing the judgement, said that Kadam has not justified his decision of opening fire at the mob and had knowledge that his act would result in death and injuries to several persons.
On July 11, 1997, a mob of Dalits had gone on rampage protesting desecration of a statue of Dr Ambedkar at Ramabai Nagar in suburban Govandi.
Kadam had ordered the platoon to open indiscriminate firing at the mob. The court observed that the accused before opening fire at the mob should have established what the situation was, what were the circumstances and what would have been the consequences.
"All the victims had sustained bullet injuries above the waist which goes to show that the accused had not studied the situation before opening the fire. More care was expected to be taken by the accused," the judge said in his order.
