We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
An Indian court has sentenced three people to death for the murder of 24 people from the Dalit community in 1981. They were members of a gang of robbers who shot victims, including women and children, in Dehuli village in Uttar Pradesh.
A special court in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri on Tuesday ruled that the death penalty was appropriate, stating that such murders are among the rarest of the rare in India. But those who claim that they are innocent can appeal against the sentence in the High Court.
According to Indian media, all the victims belong to the Dalit community. Relatives of the victims have welcomed the sentence, but they say that Karwanyan should be speedy. "We got justice too late. The accused have lived their lives," said Sanjay Chaudhary, who lost his uncle in the shooting, to the BBC. 13 of the 17 accused in the
incident have died in the 44 years since the crime was committed. Apart from 3 people who were sentenced to death, one other accused is absconding.
On November 18, 1981, 17 people wearing police uniform entered Dehuli and fired indiscriminately at the villagers. Most of the shooters were of upper caste.
According to a complaint registered with the police at that time, the violence broke out after a Dalit member of a bandit group was killed by an upper caste colleague. Suspecting that some Dalit villagers had informed the police about the murder, gang members attacked the village.
Rakesh Kumar, who survived the carnage, said, "I was doing housework, and suddenly a shot rang out. I was hiding behind a paddy field." When I came out, I saw that many people including my mother were shot. Rakesh's mother Chameli Devi (now 80 years old) was shot in the leg while running to save her life. "They didn't spare anyone, including women or children," she said, "they killed whoever they found." The
shooting lasted for more than four hours. According to Indian media, the attackers managed to escape before the police arrived at the scene.
After the incident, after Dalits started fleeing from Dehuli, the local administration sent police personnel to the village. They stayed in the village for months to reassure the people. It also created a political stir and the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Dehuli to meet the victims.
In 1984, the case was transferred from the district court to the Allahabad criminal court by order of the state high court. The hearing of the case continued till 2024. Then the case was transferred to the special court of Mainpuri.
It is common for courts in India to take decades to complete hearings and deliver judgments. Especially when the victims belong to backward communities. 2023 A 90-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison for a 1981 racial crime.
