Eight Indian Muslims, including four who had been sentenced...

Eight Indian Muslims, including four who had been sentenced to death, were acquitted over the 1997 killing of a policeman that had led to deadly communal riots in southern India. A high court bench in Madras, hearing the men's appeal, said the prosecution had not provided sufficient proof that the eight suspects had killed the police officer. A special fast-track court in Coimbatore had sentenced four of the men to death on December 23, 2002, saying they knew the killing of the Hindu traffic constable would lead to religious riots.