KANPUR: Exactly 43 years after the
Behmai massacre
, where 20 people were shot in a Kanpur village by '
Bandit Queen
'
Phoolan Devi
and her gang, a court in Kanpur pronounced its verdict Wednesday, handing the life sentence to one of the two last surviving accused.
On Feb 14, 1981, Phoolan and her gang stormed Behmai village, to avenge her gang rape by upper caste men.
Among those who perished in a hail of bullets, 17 were Thakurs. "What was the point of a judgment that took more than four decades? Most of the people associated with the case are dead, whether it was the plaintiff or accused," said main plaintiff Rajaram's son Raju Singh.
Of 34 accused, Phoolan and 30 othersdied during Behmai trial
Rajaram of Behmai village had alerted police about the massacre, leading to the registration of a case against 34 people, including Phoolan Devi. Of them, 31 died during the trial period, including Phoolan Devi. Also, 28 witnesses in the case passed away during the trial. One of the accused, Man Singh, remains at large.
A local court in Kanpur framed charges in the case in Aug 2012. On Wednesday, Kanpur Dehat additional district judge (anti-robbery court) Amit Malviya sentenced Shyam Babu Kewat to life imprisonment and acquitted another accused, Vishwanath, due to lack of evidence.
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