Caste-based killings that rocked Uttar Pradesh

The massacre of 24 Dalits by a group of upper-caste gunmen in Dehuli village of UP's Mainpuri district (now in Firozabad) on November 18, 1981, had rocked the entire country with the then chief minister VP Singh offering to resign amid the outcry against the caste-based violence and the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi reaching out to the villagers shaken by the bloodbath.

- Hemendra Chaturvedi

AGRA:

The original FIR named 17 accused under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), and 396 (dacoity with murder), among other offences under the IPC. Of the total accused, 14 people died during the pendency of trial whereas one was declared an absconder.

The FIR was filed by Laik Singh, a local resident, on November 19, 1981, and following a detailed investigation, the dacoits, including gang leaders Santosh and Radhey, were charge-sheeted.

In response to the tragedy, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi met the affected families whereas Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the leader in the opposition, undertook a padyatra from Dehuli to Sadupur in Firozabad, offering solidarity with the grieving families.