The Bathani Tola massacre, which took place in the small village of Bathani in Bihar 27 years ago, stands as a haunting testament to the deeply entrenched caste-based hierarchy that persists in rural India. On July 11, 1996, a ruthless private army, consisting of upper-caste landlords, perpetrated a horrifying act of violence, brutally massacring eight children, 12 women, and one man from the landless Dalit community residing in the village. The incident not only exposed the abhorrent face of caste-based discrimination but also raised pertinent questions about the social structure prevailing in rural Bihar.