A year after four members of his family were killed by local villagers, Bhiayyalal Bhotmange, the lone survivor of the Khairlanji Dalit killings, received a house from the state government.
District Collector Sambhajirao Sarkunde handed over the keys of the house to Bhotmange, fulfilling the assurance given by Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh during his visit to Khairlanji village last year.
Bhotmange's wife Surekha, daughter Priyanka, sons Sudhir and Rohan were killed by a village mob on September 29 over a property dispute. His house was also partially damaged by the angry mob.
The incident had evoked violent protests amongst the Dalit community in Maharashtra.
The government had ordered a CID probe and initiated action against some policemen for their inaction and inept handling of the case. The probe was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The state also appointed Ujjwal Nikam, the prosecutor in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, as Special Prosecutor to fight the case in a Bhandara court
Meanwhile, the police have made elaborate security arrangements to prevent any untoward incidents on the first anniversary of the killings on Saturday.
