Thirty-Six of the 47 Khairlanji accused against whom the CBI found no evidence were formally discharged by the Sessions Court in Bhandara today. With this, the number of accused has come down to 11. All 47 were produced today before the fast-track court of ad hoc Additional District and Sessions Judge S S Das. The judge discharged the 36 people against whom the CBI couldn’t come up with a chargesheet. The next hearing is for March 2 when charges will be fixed against the 11 accused.The Bhandara police had initially arrested 28 people following the gruesome murder of four members of Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange’s family at Khairlanji village on September 29. Following violent outrage and pressure from Dalit agitationists, the police booked 19 more. But, eventually, the CBI could find evidence only against 11 people, who were duly chargesheeted.According to reports, eyewitnesses from Khairlanji village had named only 11 people, though some had said the whole village had ganged up against the family.
