A special court in Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri district on Tuesday sentenced three men to death for their role in the 1981 Dehuli massacre, in which 24 Dalits, including women and children, were killed, reported The Hindu.

The verdict came 44 years after the killings. The three convicted men broke down in court after the sentence was announced.

Special judge Indira Singh convicted Kaptan Singh, Rampal and Ram Sevak on March 12 and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on each of them. The court called the case among the “rarest of rare” crimes due to the brutality inflicted upon the victims.

“The crime committed by the accused is a shame on law and order as well as humanity,” the court noted. “It is a crime that destroys the social structure.”

The court said that the death penalty was justified in the case, as it would serve both as a deterrent and a form of justice for the victims and their families.

Public prosecutor Rohit Shukla said the verdict had been delayed as several accused were initially absconding and were arrested later on warrants, reported ABP News.

He said the trial was also delayed due to the case being transferred to the High Court.

The massacre occurred on November 18, 1981, when a gang of 17 dacoits led by Radhe and Santosha, disguised in khaki uniforms, stormed Dehuli village, suspecting that Dalit families had turned police informers.

The gang initially targeted one family and when other villagers came out in support, they opened fire, killing 24 people including seven women and two children aged six months and two years. Several others were injured. The gang looted several homes.

A villager, Layak Singh, filed a first information report on November 19, 1981, against 20 people under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 396 (dacoity with murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

The trial initially began in the court of the special judge for dacoity-affected areas in Mainpuri but was later transferred to a sessions court in Allahabad where witness testimonies were recorded. On October 19, 2024, the trial was moved back to the Mainpuri sessions court and was subsequently heard in the special court on the orders of the district judge.

Trial records were transferred back from the Allahabad sessions court to special judge Singh in December 2024 for a final ruling.

Out of the 20 accused, 14 died while the trial was underway, while one was declared absconding.

The massacre had drawn nationwide attention at the time. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister VP Singh visited the village to meet the families of those killed and injured. Opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee walked from Dehuli to Sadupur in Firozabad to express solidarity with the victims.