1999 Mubarakpur communal killing: 12 get life term after 27-year trial

A district court in Azamgarh on Tuesday sentenced 12 men to life imprisonment in a 27-year-old murder case linked to Shia-Sunni violence in Mubarakpur, marking a decisive conclusion to one of the district’s longest-running communal riot trials .

District and Sessions Judge Jai Prakash Pandey pronounced the sentence after the final hearing. The court had convicted all 12 accused on February 13, holding them guilty of murder and related offences. Each convict was also fined ₹66,500 . District Government Counsel (Criminal) Priyadarshi Piyush Tripathi said the judgment was based on “a comprehensive assessment of witness testimonies, medical reports, and circumstantial evidence, which together proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.”

The case dates back to April 1999, when Ali Akbar , a resident of Pura Khwaja, went missing after attending a Muharram procession . His disappearance was first reported by his son, Jaigam , followed by a formal complaint by his nephew Nasir Hussain . Three days later, Akbar’s beheaded body was recovered from Raja Bhat’s pond , triggering communal tension across Mubarakpur and adjoining areas.

Investigators concluded that Akbar was attacked, killed, and his body dumped by members of the Sunni community during post-procession violence. Additional District Government Counsel Deepak Kumar Mishra told the court that the crime was “executed in a calculated manner to spread fear and erase evidence,” adding that the prosecution reconstructed the sequence of events through eyewitness accounts and forensic findings.

Police initially named 16 accused in the chargesheet. However, during the nearly three-decade-long trial, four of them died , leaving 12 to face the final verdict. The prosecution examined nine witnesses , whose depositions formed the backbone of the case, alongside medical and documentary evidence.

Following the sentencing, defence counsel Swami Nath Yadav said the convicts would approach the Allahabad High Court , arguing that key gaps remained in the investigation, including the non-recovery of the severed head , which he said weakened the prosecution’s claims.

Legal observers said the verdict underscored the judiciary’s persistence in delivering justice in decades-old communal crime cases , reinforcing accountability despite prolonged delays.