A Bihar court on Thursday awarded life sentences to nine people in the infamous Miyapur massacre, where 34 Dalits were killed by the Ranvir Sena on June 16, 2000.

Additional District Judge Krishna Kant Dwivedi found the nine accused guilty of the massacre, which was carried out in retaliation for the murder of upper caste people at Senari in Jehanabad district earlier that year, court officials told rediff.com on Thursday.

Ranvir Sena, a banned outfit, is the private militia of Bihar landlords.

The court, however, acquitted two accused because of lack of evidence against them.

According to the first information report in the case, 34 Dalits, including nine children and 13 women, were killed and more than 15 others injured by activists of Ranvir Sena at Miyapur village in Aurangabad district.