Two more people were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the lynching of a Dalit man earlier this month in Raebareli district after being mistaken for a thief, police said. According to a statement issued by the Raebareli police, the two arrested have been identified as Chhotu alias Sujeet Agrahari and Avinesh Singh alias Saurabh Singh Baghel, both residents of Baniyan ka Purwa in Pachkhara village. The arrests were made on Monday and Tuesday, taking the total number of people held in the case to 14, the statement said. "The investigation is being conducted by Circle Officer (Dalmau) Girija Shankar Tripathi. Efforts are on to trace others involved in the incident, including those who may have fled to other districts or states. Strict legal action will be taken against all the accused," the police said. Officials said the main accused, who had allegedly beaten the victim, Hariom Valmiki, to death, was arrested following an encounter with the police on October 10. Earlier, nine people were arrested immediately after the case was registered, and two more were held on October 8. Police also said that accountability has been fixed on the law enforcement side, with five policemen, including two sub-inspectors, suspended. Social media videos related to the incident are also being examined. The police said among those accused in the case are people belonging to various castes, including Dalits and backward communities, and appealed to the public not to give the incident a caste colour. Valmiki, a Dalit resident of Fatehpur district, was lynched on the night of October 2 near Jamunapur in Rae Bareli's Unchahar area after being mistaken for a thief. Following the incident, the police registered a case and arrested several accused. The incident also raised a political furore with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Raebareli MP Rahul Gandhi expressing concern over it and speaking to the family, assuring them justice even even as opposition Samajwadi Party in UP slammed the BJP-led government over law and order issues, particularly crimes against Dalits. On October 11, Valmiki's wife, Sangeeta Valmiki, along with her family members, met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow. The chief minister expressed condolences and assured the family of justice and government support, including housing under the CM's Housing Scheme, a permanent job for Sangeeta Valmiki, and coverage under welfare schemes. Adityanath had said the accused were arrested within 24 hours and that ensuring the safety and dignity of Dalits and deprived sections remained the government's top priority.
