In Uttar Pradesh, a special CBI court in Lucknow on Friday, awarded death sentence to three cops, including a serving police officer, while five others have been awarded with life imprisonment in connection with a fake encounter case in 1982 in Gonda.

AIR Lucknow correspondent reports that in March 1982, KP Singh, a police officer of the rank of a DSP was killed along with twelve villagers in Madhopur village of Gonda district . The cops claimed that DSP Singh died in a cross-fire while they were engaged in a gun battle with dacoits who were hiding in the village. But the wife of slain DSP had challenged the police version in Supreme court alleging that her husband's subordinates conspired to kill him in a fake encounter.

The CBI, which took over the case, on the order of Supreme Court, later said that DSP Singh was indeed killed by his junior, RB Saroj, one among the trio sentenced to death today. The agency also said that villagers were dragged out of their homes and killed in cold blood from a close range. The three sentenced to death are – SB Saroj, the then Station House Officer; Ramnayak Pandey, a sub-inspector currently posted in Jaunpur; and retired constable Ram Karan.