4 more arrested for Dalit man's lynching in UP's Raebareli, face Gangsters Act, NSA

The police have arrested four more persons in connection with the lynching of a Dalit man by villagers who mistook him for a thief in the Unchahar area of Raebareli district, officials said on Wednesday.

Police said the stringent Gangsters Act and the National Security Act (NSA) will be invoked against the accused, and cautioned against attempts to give the incident a casteist slant, saying the accused were unaware of the victim's caste.

While the NSA empowers states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner "prejudicial to the defence of India" with a maximum detention period of 12 months, which can be revoked earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, is aimed at combating organised crime by making special provisions to deal with gangsters and anti-social activities.

Hariom Valmiki (40) was reportedly lynched by villagers who mistook him for a thief during a night vigil around 1 am on October 2 amid rumours that a gang was using drones for surveillance to mark houses for robberies.

“Four more persons, including Shiv Prasad Agrahari, who stood as a mute spectator and did not inform the police, a relative of Shivam, the main accused, who sheltered him, and two others – Lalli Pasi and his associate – were arrested on Tuesday, taking the total arrests in the case to nine,” Raebareli SP Yashveer Singh said.

“The victim was unknown to the villagers, and those involved belong to various communities. Police will act against anyone spreading misinformation or disturbing communal harmony,” the officer said.

Five persons – Vaibhav Singh, Vijay Kumar, Sahdev Pasi, Vijay Maurya and Suresh Kumar Maurya – were arrested for the murder soon after the incident.

The case sparked a furore with the Congress on Tuesday terming it “murder of humanity and the Constitution”, saying it posed a serious question mark on collective morality as violence cannot be a hallmark of any civilised society.

In a joint statement, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi alleged that mob lynching, bulldozer injustice, and mobocracy have become a “horrifying hallmark of our times".

The SP said the incident occurred around 1 am at Jamunapur village, where locals assaulted Hariom, a resident of Fatehpur, with sticks, rods, and belts after suspecting him of theft.

“The deceased appeared to be mentally unstable and was unable to express himself. The villagers assumed that he came to steal, and thrashed him, leading to his death,” the SP said.

Police were informed about the incident the next morning, after which they sent the body for autopsy, which revealed multiple serious injuries.

Based on video evidence, police have identified 10 to 15 more suspects, and further arrests are likely, the SP said, adding that strict action will be taken in the matter under the Gangsters Act and the NSA.

Police teams are also coordinating with their counterparts in Fatehpur, and tracking the suspects believed to have fled to other states, officials said.

On Monday, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had visited Hariom's family and claimed the victim was beaten up after he took Rahul Gandhi's name.

He also alleged that a "Jungle Raj" was prevailing in the state.  Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, has spoken to the victim's brother over phone and assured him of all support.