 The killing of 12 Bhumihars sparked anger among Bhumihar youths.The perpetrators of the incident were members of the Ashok Mahto gang, formed by a Koeri militant who was also responsible for atrocities against upper castes including murder of sitting member of parliament Rajo Singh from Bihar.On 11 March 2000, seven Dalits were locked in a house and burnt alive by an upper-caste Reddy mob in Kambalapalli, Kolar district of Karnataka state.The Civil Rights Enforcement (CRE) Cell investigation revealed deep-rooted animosity between the Dalits and the upper-castes as the reason for the violence.