A special court in Uttar Pradesh has sentenced three men to death for their involvement in the 1981 Dehuli massacre, where 24 Dalits, including women and children, were brutally killed. The verdict, delivered on March 18, 2025, comes 44 years after the horrific incident, providing a long-awaited sense of justice to the victims’ families.
Background of the Dehuli Massacre
On November 18, 1981, a group of 17 dacoits, disguised as police officers, stormed Dehuli village in the then Mainpuri district (now Firozabad). Led by Thakur men Radheshyam Singh alias Radhey and Santosh Singh alias Santosha, the assailants targeted a Dalit family, killing 24 individuals, including women and two children aged six months and two years. The massacre was allegedly orchestrated to punish Dalit witnesses who had testified against upper-caste criminals.
Legal Proceedings and Verdict
Of the 17 accused, 14 died during the prolonged trial, and one remains absconding. The remaining three—Ram Sevak, Kaptan Singh, and Rampal Singh, all in their early 70s—were convicted and sentenced to death by a special dacoity court in Mainpuri. The court deemed the crime as falling under the “rarest of rare” category, warranting the death penalty.
Reactions from Survivors and Community
Survivors and relatives of the victims expressed relief and a sense of closure following the verdict. Amrit Lal, who lost multiple family members in the attack, stated, “We have lived under fear for life but the judgment today has brought us justice.” Nirmala Devi, another resident of Dehuli village, remarked, “The court order is a reward for our continuous and long-drawn fight in courts.”
Historical Context of Caste-Based Violence
The Dehuli massacre is among several instances of caste-based violence in India. Other notable incidents include the Neerukonda massacre in 1987 and the Tsundur massacre in 1991, both in Andhra Pradesh, where Dalit communities were targeted by upper-caste groups.
