Delhi HC gives life term to 16 ex-cops in Hashimpura massacre case

New Delhi, October 31

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sentenced 16 ex-policemen to life imprisonment for killing 42 people of a minority community in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case in Uttar Pradesh.

A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel reversed the trial court’s verdict which had acquitted the accused.

The high court convicted 16 former Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel for murder and of kidnapping, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence under the Indian Penal Code.

(Read: Hashimpura families recall the massacre, some say life term not punishment enough)

All the 16 convicts have retired from service.

It termed the massacre “targeted killing” of unarmed and defenceless people by the police.

The high court’s verdict came on pleas challenging a trial court’s decision to acquit 16 policemen of charges of murder and other crimes in the case. PTI