Ten villagers burnt alive in India land row Published duration 11 March 2011

Ten villagers have been burnt alive in a land dispute in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police say.

The killings came after the head of the panchayat (council) in a village in Mahrajganj district was murdered.

His family then set on fire houses belonging to those accused of the murder, police say. Five children and three women were among those who died.

Police say the land row was the main reason for the murder of the panchayat chief and the subsequent arson attack.

They say the dispute in the village of Digahi bordering Nepal has been going on in the courts for years.