Alam Bi’s life changed forever when her husband Raheem Ummad Mohammad, 55, and son Idul Mohammad, 35, were found dead after communal violence in Bemetara, Chhattisgarh, in 2023. On Wednesday, a sessions court acquitted all 17 men accused of their murder. Ms. Alam Bi said the verdict has “dealt a blow to her hope for justice.” She recalled leaving the village after hearing that a mob beat her family members to death while they were taking their goats for grazing. “Our 100 goats were lost or perhaps looted. For the past three years, there is no one to till the family land on which we used to grow paddy and gram,” she said. Ms. Alam Bi now depends on a monthly aid of ₹1,000 from Chhattisgarh’s Mahtari Vandan Yojana. Idul’s wife, Shakila Bano, and their nine-year-old son live nearby. Shakila works as a daily wage worker, but the family mostly relies on help from their community. The violence began after a scuffle between two minors of different communities on April 8, 2023. A 22-year-old man, Bhuneshwar Sahu, was found murdered, triggering political unrest. The Vishva Hindu Parishad declared a bandh on April 10, which the BJP, then in Opposition, unofficially backed. They blamed the Congress government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. Raheem and Idul’s bodies were found on April 11 despite heavy police presence. The day before, a house belonging to Raheem’s daughter was burnt by a mob. Six FIRs were filed related to the violence. Seventeen men were arrested in connection with the double murder. Later that year, the BJP used the case during Assembly polls, fielding Bhuneshwar’s father, Ishwar Sahu, who defeated Congress leader Ravindra Choubey and became an MLA. The BJP won the election and handed the murder case to the CBI in April 2024. The trial is ongoing in Raipur. Raheem’s elder brother, Shah Mohammad, said no compensation has reached Alam Bi. He and other Muslim villagers feel police failed to deliver justice. “There were 12 people arrested from the Muslim locality for Bhuneshwar’s murder. His father became an MLA, his case was shifted to the CBI. What about us?” he asked. They have little faith in the system to seek help or compensation, reflecting a deep sense of despair in the village.