MUMBAI, September 15, 2008 (AFP) - An Indian court on Monday found eight people guilty of murdering four members of a low-caste Hindu family, a crime which prompted violence and led to condemnation from political leaders.

The woman, her daughter and two sons were attacked by a mob over an alleged land dispute in a village near the city of Nagpur, 900 kilometres (560 miles) northeast of Mumbai, in September 2006.

Their bodies were found dumped in a canal. The woman's husband managed to escape.

After a year-long trial, a court in Bhandara, near Nagpur, acquitted three other defendants due to a lack of evidence.

Sentencing of those found guilty was adjourned until September 20, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

The case sparked anger and violent protests among the Dalit community because of the slow pace of bringing those held responsible to court.

Human rights campaigners have long expressed concern at the discrimination, violence and prejudice suffered by Dalits, who are often referred to as 'untouchables' in the Indian caste system.

Most live in poverty in rural areas and do menial, supposedly 'unclean' jobs like rubbish-picking and cleaning latrines.

This month alone, the Press Trust of India reported that two Dalit women were allegedly gang-raped and had their house set on fire.

In a separate case in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, a Dalit man was beaten up for trying to enter a temple, it added.

Special prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, who tried the Nagpur case, said he had mixed reactions after the verdict because three of the defendants were acquitted.

'It was a challenge because it was a difficult case and witnesses were threatened by some miscreants. Despite that, I feel that it will give a strong message to society,' he told AFP.