Four more people have been arrested in connection with the alleged lynching of a 38-year-old man in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli, who was mistaken for “drone thief” by villagers, said police. Five people had been arrested earlier, and the fresh arrests from neighbouring villages were based on their statements. Police said they are in the process of invoking provisions of the UP Gangster and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act as well as the National Security Act (NSA) against the accused. Police said the victim, Hariom Valmiki, was caught by villagers in Dandepur Jamunapur late at night on October 1. A purported video went viral on social media, showing Hariom being brutally beaten by the men, who suspected he was a thief, and demanded that he reveal the names of his alleged accomplices. According to police, they found the man’s body near a railway track in the Unchahar area on the morning of October 2. Superintendent of Police, Raebareli, Yashveer Singh, said: “The unfortunate incident took place on October 2, around 1 am. Hariom Valmiki was mistaken for a thief and beaten up by local villagers; they included youth from the area as well as surrounding villages. As he was specially challenged, Hariom was unable to answer their queries.” The case has been lodged under Section 103 (murder) of the BNS. “So far, a total of nine people have been arrested. Raids are being conducted in other districts as well as states to look for 10-15 others involved in the incident,” SP Singh added. Maintaining that action would be taken against all accused, Singh said they are in the process of invoking both the NSA and Gangster Act against them and are in constant touch with Hariom's family members. Police, meanwhile, once again requested the public “not to give the incident a caste-based colour”. “Some people are trying to give it a caste colour but the accused did not know Hariom, nor his caste. the accused also belong to different castes,” said SP Singh. He said a watchful eye is being kept on social media, adding that police are making a list of people making such claims and action would be taken against them. Raebareli Police also said the content in the video on social media is being investigated. The incident had sparked a furore, with the Congress targeting the BJP government over the incident, calling it a failure of law and order. The party had said Leader of Opposition and Raebareli MP Rahul Gandhi had spoken to Hariom's family over the phone, while Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had visited their home in Fatehpur and assured them of the party’s support. UP Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna had said three police personnel, including a sub-inspector, were suspended for negligence.
