A 50-year-old Dali man was tied to a pillar and beaten to death by a mob that accused him of theft in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district on Sunday, police said.

Police said that the incident took place in Dumarpali village under Chakradhar Nagar police station, and they have arrested three people in connection with the murder and more arrests could follow.
“On Sunday morning, information was received that a person, Panch Ram Sarathi, son of Pooni Ram, aged 50 years, resident of village Banora, had entered the house of Virendra Sidar in village Dumarpali with the intention of committing theft. He was caught and beaten, which led to his death,” said inspector general of police, Bilaspur range, Sanjeev Shukla.
A first information report (FIR) has been registered under crime number 574/25, Section 103(1) at Chakradhar Nagar Police Station.
“The main accused, Virendra Singh Sidar, (50), and two accomplices, Ajay Pradhan, son of Loknath Pradhan and Ashok Pradhan, all resident of Dumarpali village have been arrested,” said the IG.
“Further investigation into the matter is ongoing,” he added.
Meanwhile, Degree Prasad Chauhan, a human rights activists based in Raigarh district alleged that the victim was caught by a mob of villagers accusing him of theft and tied him to a pole with a rope and beaten to death.
“This is not the first incident of mob lynching of Dalits by accusing them of theft in Raigarh. Earlier, in Lailunga police station of Raigarh district, a Dalit, Arvind Sarathi was beaten to death in the police station after being accused of theft. The district sessions and special judge had then warned the Chhattisgarh government to conduct a CBI investigation into the incident,” Chauhan said.
{{/usCountry}}“This is not the first incident of mob lynching of Dalits by accusing them of theft in Raigarh. Earlier, in Lailunga police station of Raigarh district, a Dalit, Arvind Sarathi was beaten to death in the police station after being accused of theft. The district sessions and special judge had then warned the Chhattisgarh government to conduct a CBI investigation into the incident,” Chauhan said.
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