42 years after Dalit killing, life term for 90-year-old
![](https://www.justicenews.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/download-11.jpg)
AGRA: A 90-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Firozabad district and sessions court for his role in the killings of 10 people belonging to the Dalit community 42 years ago. The court in UP also imposed a fine of Rs 55,000 on the lone surviving accused, Ganga Dayal.
The nonagenarian was among 10 accused in the case; nine others died during the trial. District government counsel,Rajeev Upadhyay, said on Thursday, “In 1981, there was a massive violence in Sadupur under Shikohabad police limits. Ten persons, including three women and three kids, were killed and two women injured in the firing. A case was subsequently registered under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 302 (murder) and 10 suspects were identified.”
Initially, the FIR was registered against three persons, including Dayal. Later, seven others were named. Most of them were landowners.
Upadhyay, who appeared for the prosecution, added: “The cause of enmity was a plaint lodged by a few Dalit villagers against a ration shop owner who took revenge along with nine of his associates. They had fired indiscriminately on these people who were cooking food at home…”
The prosecution said that such mass killings fell in the category of the “rarest of rare” cases, and Dayal deserved capital punishment. The defence pleaded for a more sympathetic view considering Dayal’s age. The DGC further said, “Dayal was held guilty of murder and sentenced by the court on Wednesday. After the sentence, the accused, who was out on bail, was arrested and sent to jail.”
District jail superintendent, AK Singh, meanwhile, said on Thursday, “Dayal has been shifted to the general barrack following a medical check up. Due to his advanced age, he suffers from weakness and has health complications. He has been kept under doctors’ supervision.”
Two of the injured at the time of the crime were Premwati and Somwati, as mentioned in the police chargesheet. Premwati, now 80, and mother of three children who were all killed in the 1981 violence, said, “We were promised farm land and a government job by the politicians. Nothing happened. We continued our struggle for justice.”
Ramprakash, 65, a relative of one of the victims, said, “It would have been better if the conviction had come when the elders in my family were alive. But the court order has certainly restored our dignity. The government must provide compensation to victims’ kin.”
Courtesy : TOI
Note: This news piece was originally published in timesofindia.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights