Patna, June 29: A Nawada court today sentenced four persons to life imprisonment and six others to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years in connection with a case of communal carnage case back in 1990.

Additional district and sessions judge B.D. Lal, who had convicted 10 persons in the case on June 27 this year, sentenced four of them to life imprisonment.

Lal sentenced six others to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 10 years.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 on each of those sentenced to life imprisonment and Rs 15,000 to each of those who would undergo rigorous imprisonment to 10 years.

Five persons belonging to the minority community were killed and 10 others injured at Chotaki Kulani village under Pakribarawan police station in Nawada district on March 17, 1990.

Lal had earlier acquitted 37 others, who were named in the FIR, for want of evidence.

Those who were sentenced to life imprisonment included Laddu Yadav, Jago Yadav, Sahdeo Mahto and Buddhu Yadav alias Ghutan Yadav.

Sources in the Nawada court told The Telegraph of the 57 persons made accused in connection with the incident, nine died during the trial and 37 others were acquitted.

One of the accused is still absconding in the case. His trial has been separated from the others, sources said.

The Nawada communal carnage was the first such incident after former chief minister Lalu Prasad assumed power in the state in 1990. The mantle of Lalu Prasad had even visited the village after the outbreak of the riots. The incident occurred when a mob singing Holi songs on March 12, 1990, insisted on passing through a street leading to the village mosque. At that time the Muslims were offering their daily afternoon prayers.

The incident had sparked off communal tensions in the entire region.

Members of the minority community was attacked five days later on March 17 in which five people were killed and 10 other sustained injuries. Sources said the killing of the five members of the minority community later led to a series of attacks between the two communities in the village.

A few months later, five members of two Yadav families were butchered by an armed group of people at Rajbigha village under Pakribarma police station, about 25km from Nawada district headquarters.

After this, Nawada witnessed a number of massacres.

Ali Sena, a front by the Muslims, was formed to counter the attacks on the community. Later they formed an armed militant outfit and was suspected to have attacked the Yadavs.

The district then did not even have any support base of the erstwhile private army of landlords — Ranvir Sena. The two Naxalite outfits — Maoist Communist Centre and the People’s War — were also vying for a support base in Nawada.

As the entire area was inaccessible for the police because of lack of roads and the hilly terrain, the armed groups continued their operations. The district remained in the grip of two notorious gangsters — Akhilesh Singh and Ashok Mahto — for about a decade, in which more than 100 people were killed.