New Delhi Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday slammed the mob lynching of a Dalit man on suspicion of being a thief in Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli, calling it a “grave offence against the Constitution of this country, a crime against the Dalit community, and a stain on this country and society”.
According to police, on October 3, they found the body of Hariom Valmiki (38) near a railway track in Unchahar area of Raebareli. Later, videos on social media revealed that Valmiki was brutally beaten up on October 2 by a group of villagers, who suspected that he was a drone thief. Till Tuesday, five villagers have been arrested, and three police personnel, including a sub-inspector, have been suspended for negligence.
The incident has prompted criticism from all quarters, with the Congress blaming the ruling BJP government in the state and at the Centre.
“Since 2014 (when the BJP came to power), trends like mob lynching, bulldozer injustice, and mobocracy have become a terrifying hallmark of our times,” said the joint statement. Gandhi is a Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli.
Referring to the Constitution, the statement added: “Our country has a Constitution that recognizes every human being as equal. There is a law that guarantees every citizen’s safety, rights, and equal freedom of expression. What happened in Rae Bareli is a grave offense against the Constitution of this country, a crime against the Dalit community, and a stain on this country and society.”
{{/usCountry}}Referring to the Constitution, the statement added: “Our country has a Constitution that recognizes every human being as equal. There is a law that guarantees every citizen’s safety, rights, and equal freedom of expression. What happened in Rae Bareli is a grave offense against the Constitution of this country, a crime against the Dalit community, and a stain on this country and society.”
{{/usCountry}}The two top leaders of the Congress pointed to the recent crimes against Scheduled Castes and minorities and said that such crimes have sky-rocketed in recent times.
“Crimes against Dalits, minorities, and the poor have skyrocketed. This violence is most prevalent against those who are marginalized, marginalised, and lack adequate representation, whether it’s crimes against women in Hathras and Unnao, Hariom’s murder in Rae Bareli, or the institutionalized murder of Rohit Vemula some time ago, the inhumane incident of a leader urinating on a tribal youth in Madhya Pradesh, and the mild beating of Dalits in Odisha and Madhya Pradesh,” Kharge and Gandhi’s statement said.
“Whether it’s the murder of Pehlu Khan in Haryana or Akhlaq in Uttar Pradesh, each incident reflects the growing insensitivity of our society, administration, and ruling powers. Since 2014, trends like mob lynching, bulldozer injustice, and mobocracy have become a terrifying hallmark of our times,” they said.
While Kharge and Gandhi called upon people to “unite against this injustice” and announced that “This fight must continue until the rights and dignity of life of every Indian are fully protected,” they said, “Violence cannot be a hallmark of any civilized society, therefore, what happened to Hariom poses a serious question mark on our collective morality.”
“The India of Bhimrao Ambedkar’s dreams and the India of Mahatma Gandhi’s Vaishnav Jan is an India of social justice, equality, and compassion, in which there is no place for such crimes. Humanity is the only way. The Congress Party is committed to the empowerment of the deprived and vulnerable sections of society. We call upon citizens to unite against this injustice. This fight must continue until the rights and dignity of life of every Indian are fully protected,” the statement added.