Political tensions have escalated in Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli following the alleged lynching of a Dalit youth from Fatehpur on Saturday. The incident, where the youth was reportedly beaten to death under the suspicion of being a drone thief, has drawn sharp criticism from the Congress party, which has targeted the Uttar Pradesh government. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared on X that Raebareli MP Rahul Gandhi spoke with the victim’s family. Shrinate stated that Rahul Gandhi had a phone conversation with the father and brother of the deceased, offering condolences and promising full support in their fight for justice. She emphasized that such brutality against Dalits would not be tolerated. Pawan Khera also expressed his outrage on X, describing the lynching as heartbreaking and infuriating. He noted that in his final moments, the deceased remembered Rahul Gandhi, who represents Raebareli and considers its people his family. Gandhi has spoken with the victim’s family, expressing solidarity and concern over the normalization of such acts of violence, vowing that the perpetrators must be brought to justice. The police have arrested five individuals in connection with the case. Authorities reported that the victim, Hariom Dandepur, who was reportedly mentally unstable, was on his way to his in-laws’ house when he was attacked by a mob. The mob suspected him of being a member of a gang that used drones to identify houses for theft. Raebareli’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Yashveer Singh confirmed the arrests and mentioned that the Station House Officer (SHO) Sanjay Kumar has been transferred due to negligence. Singh noted that local police were aware of rumors circulating in the area. Just a day before the murder, Raebareli police arrested two individuals, Mohammad Junaid from Lucknow and Mohammad Ovais from Sitapur, for flying a drone without permission near the PAC colony. Police said the men, who were furniture businessmen, were making videos with the drone for entertainment, but their activities sparked new rumors and panic in nearby villages.
