At least 50 Muslims were picked up by PAC personnel from Hashimpura village in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, in May 1987 (Picture: Praveen Jain) At least 50 Muslims were picked up by PAC personnel from Hashimpura village in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, in May 1987 (Picture: Praveen Jain)

Overturning a trial court’s verdict, the Delhi High Court Wednesday convicted 16 former Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel and sentenced them to life imprisonment for the mass murder of 38 Muslims in Hashimpura village in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut in 1987. A two-judge bench, comprising Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel, said the incident was a “targeted killing” of unarmed and defenceless people. The trial court had acquitted them in the case in March 2015 after finding that “it has not been proved beyond reasonable doubts” that the accused were PAC officials.

The accused, who are all retired now, were found guilty of murder and kidnapping, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). There were initially 17 accused, but one died during the course of the trial.

Also read | 31 years later, a diary naming cops is new evidence

The HC, which was hearing appeals filed by Uttar Pradesh, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and private parties including Zulfiqar Nasir, a survivor of the massacre, had reserved its verdict in the case on September 6.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd