Patna, Nov 30 (IANS): The district court in Bihar's Jamui on Wednesday sentenced 6 convicts to imprisonment for a double murder, including on an RTI activist, in 2018.

The double murder incident occurred on July 1, 2018 and FIR number 152/2018 was registered against the six in the district’s Sikandara police station, identified as Krishnadev Ravidas, the then Mukhiya of Bichwa Panchayat, Vinod Mahto, Suresh Mahto, Sarwan Mahto, Naresh Yadav, and Shree Yadav.

As per the statement of Saryug Yadav, a relative of the deceased, RTI activist Valmiki Yadav and his friend Dharmendra Kumar were returning from Sikandra block to their native village Bichwe on the evening of July 1, 2018 when Ravidas and his aides intercepted the victims.

Ravidas was carrying an iron rod which he smashed on their bike. Both of them fell on the road and Ravidas and his aides shot them at close range.

"We have produced six witnesses in the court of District and Sessions Judge Dharmendra Kumar Singh during the trial of this case in the last five years and managed to prove that the accused were guilty of the heinous murders. The defense lawyer also presented 21 witnesses in the court but the honorable judge held the accused guilty. Accordingly, he has sentenced them to life imprisonment to them. The court has also imposed a Rs 40,000 fine as well," public prosecutor Ganesh Rawat said.

The court has also asked the authorities to compensate the victims, he added.