A 38-year-old Dalit man named Hariom was lynched to death in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli district on October 2 after being mistaken for a thief. Police have arrested five people in connection with the brutal killing.
According to officials, Hariom had gone to meet his wife, who works as a sweeper in a local bank, but reportedly lost his way and entered Ishwardaspur village. Villagers allegedly caught him, questioned him, and began beating him when he failed to answer properly.
A disturbing video of the incident has gone viral on social media. It shows Hariom pinned to the ground, one attacker pressing his leg on his face while others mercilessly thrash him. His body turned purple from the beatings. Half-conscious, Hariom was heard crying out the name of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, as his assailants poured liquid on his face and shouted, “Yeh Baba ka raj hai” (This is Baba’s kingdom), referring to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, also called Bulldozer Baba.
Hariom later succumbed to his injuries, and his body was dumped near the Prayagraj–Lucknow railway line, close to Ishwardaspur halt. Police have registered a case and said an investigation is underway.
The incident has triggered outrage. The Uttar Pradesh Congress unit shared the video on social media, saying, “In Yogi Raj, Uttar Pradesh has become synonymous with the cremation ground for Dalits.” Rae Bareli, where the lynching took place, is the parliamentary constituency of Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also criticized the BJP government over the rising number of crimes against Dalits. Citing National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, he said Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of such crimes, 15,130 cases, followed by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
“BJP government’s work should not just be seen as biased; the pain and tears it has caused should also be noted. In UP, Dalit oppression is at its peak,” Yadav said in a post on X, calling for stronger public and media attention to these atrocities.
