INDIA: 6 GET DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLINGS LOW CASTES

September 24, 2008: an Indian court sentenced six men to death for the brutal killings of a low-caste woman and her three young children, officials said. The court in Bhandara, a town 750 kms northeast of Mumbai, also sentenced two others to life in prison for their role in the 2006 killings, sparked by a land dispute between members of higher castes and the family from the lowest caste, known as Dalits. The family was beaten to death with sticks, iron rods and chains, and their bodies were dumped in a canal. The woman's husband was the only survivor in the attack, said prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. "This is a key judgment because it sends a very strong message that brutality, especially to low castes, will be dealt with very strictly," said Nikam. The court acquitted three others for lack of evidence against them. (Sources: Associated Press, 24/09/2008)