Anger among India's 'untouchables' after 26 people acquitted over caste massacres The men had been convicted of killing 58 'Dalits' in a 1997 raid on Laxmanpur Bathe village in Jehanabad district, Bihar, one of India's poorest states. The prosecution had said they were members of the Ranvir Sena, a militia of high caste landlords which had been terrorising so-called 'untouchables.' Lawyers representing the accused said many of the witnesses had not actually been present at the incident. The Bihar government said it will appeal against the acquittals while Dalit rights leader Dr Udit Raj said the ruling reflected prejudice and discrimination against India's lower castes by the judiciary. We are sad and disheartened by the decision if the court. It is a sad day for the country and once again proves that there is a systematic discrimination against the Dalits. The decision shows the biased attitude of the judiciary towards the Dalits," he told the Telegraph today [thurs]. The Ranvir Sena was founded in 1994 by Bhrameshwar Singh as a high caste Brahmin militia with targeted suspected Maoist sympathisers and activists for the rights if India's Dalits and so-called low 'scheduled castes.' The group killed more than 120 suspected left wing activists and Dalits in four massacres carried out in 1996 and 1997. On July 11th 1996, 21 Dalits, including 11 women and nine children, were killed in Bihar's Bhojpur area. The group is reported to have targeted women and children in particular to stop them giving birth to potential Maoists or growing up to become supporters. Members of the group were acquitted of involvement in the attack in April last year. Their leader, Brahmeshwar Singh, was murdered a few weeks after the verdict.