12 years after UP farmer’s murder, family of nine — including 5 women — sentenced to life

On Wednesday, the nine accused, who had been out on bail, were taken into custody after the court found them guilty in the case. The court reserved its decision on the sentencing to November 7. On Friday, Additional District and Sessions Judge Pradeep Kumar sentenced each of the convicts to life imprisonment.

Government counsel, Balrampur, Naveen Tiwari, said seven prosecution witnesses were examined during the trial. Defence counsel Shameem Athahar said they would file an appeal against the judgment.

The convicts are Kabutri and her two sons, Vasudev and Durgesh. Vasudev’s wife Sunita and Durgesh’s wife, Anita, are also among the convicts. The others are Lahiram, his wife Saveri Devi; his brother, Ashok, and another woman named Bhanmati.

They are aged between 45 and 70 years. They live in Parsarampur Rajena village, under Gaisahari police station limits, in the same neighbourhood as the victim. The convicts and accused belong to the same Dalit community.

The victim’s son, Bhageerat, later filed a complaint at the local police station and a murder case was lodged.

During the initial investigation, police found that the killing stemmed from a dispute between the children of the two families a few days prior to the murder. The accused were reportedly enraged with Shiv Charan and had conspired to kill him in retaliation.

According to the prosecution, Bhageerat said his father had gone to perform a religious ritual under a peepal tree located on their farmland outside the village. When he was returning home around 1.30 pm, he passed by Vasudev’s house and was suddenly attacked.

Hearing his cries for help, Bhageerat’s mother Sundari Devi and brother Basant Lal, along with his uncle and cousin, rushed to save Shiv Charan. However, as per the prosecution’s case, the attackers assaulted them as well with sticks and axes, leaving them injured.

In an attempt to save his life, Shiv Charan ran into a neighbour’s house but the attackers followed him there and continued to beat him. They left him unconscious on the road and fled.

Before running away, the prosecution said, the accused allegedly threatened to kill the entire family if any complaint was made.

Shiv Charan’s family rushed him to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

The nine have been convicted under IPC sections 148, 504, 506, 452, 308/149, 302/149.

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