Rajasthan court acquits 40 accused in 2015 Dangawas massacre

A special SC/ST court in Merta, Rajasthan, has acquitted all 40 accused in the 2015 Dangawas massacre, citing a lack of conclusive evidence. The verdict comes after an 11-year legal battle regarding a violent attack that left six people dead and fourteen others injured.

The violence originated from a decades-old land dispute in Dangawas village, Nagaur district. A Dalit Meghwal family claimed they were reclaiming 23 bighas of land after repaying a mortgage, while a dominant Jat family claimed the land had been sold to them. The dispute escalated on May 14, 2015, when an armed mob allegedly attacked the family using firearms, axes, and heavy machinery.

Following public pressure, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case and charge-sheeted 40 individuals under the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. However, the court ultimately granted the benefit of the doubt to the defendants, concluding that while the incident was proven, the specific perpetrators could not be identified due to witnesses turning hostile or failing to provide conclusive identification.