SRIKAKULAM:Amidst tight police security, the in situ trial of the Lakshmipeta massacre began at the Additional District Sessions and Special Court at Lakshmipeta village in Vangara mandal of the district Friday. Judge VBS Venkateswara Rao, who commenced the proceedings, posted the next hearing on June 5.
A large number of police personnel were deployed in the village, anticipating trouble in the wake of the hearing of the case in which five Dalits were killed by the members of a backward class community on June 12, 2012.
Even before the trial began, the cops took the entire village under their control and about 150 policemen led by three deputy superintendents of police ensured that no untoward incident occurred, even as an eerie silence prevailed throughout the day.
The court proceedings began at 10 am and the officials concerned informed the court that only 78 out of 80 accused, who were served notices earlier, appeared before the court. While one person died, another was undergoing treatment for diarrhoea at a hospital in Vijayawada. Minutes later, the court posted the case for next hearing on June 5.
The police ensured that people from backward class and Scheduled Caste do not come face-to-face, by transporting the accused in and out of the court from the backdoors. Mild tension prevailed when the members of the SC community and activists supporting them staged a protest after the court was adjourned for the day. They entered into a verbal argument with the police and demanded justice by ensuring that the accused were convicted for their crimes.