Lynched for Being 'Thief': How Rampant Theft and Drone Rumors Killed an Innocent Dalit in UP's Raebareli

Raebareli- In a shocking incident in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli district's Unchahar police station area, an innocent Dalit youth was brutally murdered by a mob fueled by theft rumors. The deceased, 38-year-old Hariom Balmiki, hailed from Tarawati Ka Purwa village in Fatehpur district. On the evening of October 2, he was en route to meet his wife, who works as a cleaner at a bank near NTPC. Hariom was mildly mentally unwell, and upon reaching the village, his inability to properly respond to villagers' questions led them to mistake him for a thief.

Rumors of thefts and drone sightings had been rampant in the area recently, triggering the mob's frenzy. They took him to a canal, stripped him, and tied him to a pole. They then beat him with sticks and belts throughout the night. A video is going viral of the incident where the deceased is seen shouting Rahul Gandhi's name to which the accused can be heard saying, 'Hum toh baba wale hain'.

During the assault, Hariom had a piece of watermelon in his hand, indicative of his disoriented state. He succumbed to severe injuries on the spot. In panic, the villagers dumped his semi-naked body near the Ishwardaspur Railway Halt on the railway tracks.

The body was discovered on October 3 when locals spotted it about 20 feet from the tracks. The postmortem report confirmed injuries from the beating as the cause of death. Following a complaint by the deceased's father, Gangadin, a case was registered at Unchahar police station under IPC Section 304A (death by negligence).

5 Accused Remanded in Judicial Custody, SHO Removed

After a video of the incident went viral on social media, the police took immediate notice. The probe revealed the involvement of local strongmen from the village. Five accused, Vaibhav Singh, Vipin Maurya alias Anuj Maurya, Vijay Kumar, Sahdev, and Suresh Kumar were arrested and produced in court, where they were sent to judicial custody. All are residents of Dandepur Jamunapur village. According to another report, a total of six suspects are in custody and being interrogated.

For negligence, Unchahar SHO Sanjay Kumar was removed from his post, and three other policemen were suspended. Dalmau CO Girja Shankar Tripathi stated that the investigation is ongoing, and all accused will face strict punishment. The police have appealed to the public not to believe rumors and to hand over suspects directly to the station.

Azad Samaj Party national president and MP from Nagina, Chandrashekhar Azad, slammed the incident on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Tagging Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath, he wrote, "The failure of CM @myogiadityanath ji's government in curbing the statewide rumors of drone flights and thefts has now turned deadly. In Raebareli district's Unchahar police station area, the brutality with which a mob beat Fatehpur resident Hariom Balmiki to death while he was going to meet his wife is beyond words. This incident is a horrific example of the Uttar Pradesh government's and administration's failure, insensitivity, and casteist mindset."

Azad further questioned, "My question to CM @myogiadityanath ji – how long will innocent citizens continue to be killed in mob violence on the streets?" He mentioned speaking to the grieving family, who only demanded justice. Azad's demands include: 1. Immediate arrest and strict punishment for all murderers of Hariom Balmiki. 2. 50 lakh rupees compensation and a government job for the deceased's family.