Kaushambi, May 24 -- For 104-year-old Lakhan Saroj, the last five decades have been a long wait for justice. Accused of murder in 1977, when he was just 56 years old, Lakhan has finally been acquitted-48 years after the incident, and decades after his life was forever changed.

Sitting on a woven cot in a mud courtyard in Kaushambi district, Lakhan's frail frame and pained legs tell the story of time more clearly than his words. He cannot stand for long or walk without support. When asked what led to the fight all those years ago, his memory remains vivid. "There was tension with Jagan and Prabhu-people from our own community. They broke my aunt's hand, then later my uncle's leg," he recalls. "We were told not to retaliate. But on August ...