Nine persons were sentenced to death and four to life imprisonment by the additional sessions judge C.R. Javed Pasha of a fast track court II in Belgaum district of Karnataka on Tuesday.

The court also fined them Rs 40,000. They were convicted for murdering four persons from the family including a woman on August 30, 2005.

According to police sources, the dispute between the families of Waddar and Udakeri, living in the village of Murkibhavi, of taluka Bailhongal began over the issue of drinking water.

The dispute arose in the year 2002. This had divided the village into warring factions. Both the families quarreled on August 29, 2002 over the same issue. On August 30, at around 6 am in the morning, the members of Udakeri family attacked and murdered Siddalingappa Fakeerappa Wadder, Mallappa Siddalingappa Wadder, Nagappa Siddalingappa Wadder and Ratnavva Suresh Wadder.

Death sentence was awarded to Sundaresh Basavanneppa Udakeri , Siddappa Chandranaik Revannavar, and Siddalingappa , Kalmesh Shankreppa Udakeri, Rajashekhar Chanabasappa Udakeri, Bhagwant Nagappa Udakeri, Chandranaik Mallanaik Revannavar, Erappa Basavaneppa Udakeri and Shankreppa Chanabasappa.