After 44 years, justice has finally been served in the Dihuli Massacre case, where 24 Dalits were brutally murdered. A Mainpuri court in Uttar Pradesh has sentenced three accused to death for their involvement in the crime. The verdict was delivered by Judge Indira Singh, who also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on each convict.

The three accused sentenced to death are:

As soon as the judgment was pronounced, the convicts broke down in court.

The case, which initially had 17 accused, saw most of them evade justice due to death or absconding:

• 13 accused have died over the years.
• One accused, Gyanchandra alias Ginna, is still on the run, and the court has issued a permanent warrant for his arrest.

Legal experts and advocates have welcomed this historic verdict, emphasizing that justice, though delayed, has been delivered.

• Ramsevak and Kaptan Singh were convicted under IPC sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly), 449 & 450 (house trespass).
• Rampal was found guilty under IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), and 216A (harboring criminals).

On November 18, 1981, at 6 PM, dacoits led by Radhe and Santosh attacked Dihuli village. The massacre was in retaliation against witnesses testifying in a case. The gang unleashed indiscriminate firing, killing 24 innocent Dalits and looting the village.

The 24 people killed in the attack included:

• Jwala Prasad, Ram Prasad, Ramdulari, Shringarwati, Shanti, Rajendri, Rajesh, Ramsevak, Shivdayal, Munesh, Bharat Singh, Dataram, Asha Devi, Lalaram, Geetam, Liladhar, Manikchandra, Bhure, Miss Sheela, Mukesh, Dhandevi, Ganga Singh, Gajadhar, and Pritam Singh.

Though the case dragged on for decades, five key witnesses—Layak Singh, Vedram, Harinarayan, Kumar Prasad, and Banwari Lal—ensured justice moved forward. Though they are no longer alive, their statements played a crucial role in securing convictions. Among them, Kumar Prasad provided a detailed eyewitness account of the massacre, which strengthened the prosecution’s case.

After decades of waiting, the families of the victims can finally see justice served. The verdict stands as a landmark decision in India's judicial history, bringing closure to one of the most brutal mass killings of Dalits.