UP Dalit Lynching Case: Congress Chief, Supporters Detained While Trying to Meet Victim’s Family

Uttar Pradesh, Oct 11 :  Congress President Ajay Rai was arrested on Saturday while attempting to visit the family of Hariom Valmiki, the Dalit youth allegedly lynched in Raebareli district. Rai was accompanied by Congress MP Rakesh Rathore and former minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui when police intercepted their convoy just outside the party state headquarters and took them into custody.

Security forces had heavily barricaded the area, turning the Congress office into a high-security zone. Rai, determined to support the grieving family, stated, “Even if they open fire, we will go and stand with the family of the deceased Dalit youth.”

Party workers gathered in large numbers outside the office, raising slogans against the Yogi Adityanath government, accusing it of shielding the perpetrators and suppressing opposition voices.

“This government hates Dalits,” Rai alleged. “They have not only killed a Dalit boy but are also preventing us from offering help to his family. The BJP is openly attacking the Constitution and promoting atrocities against marginalized communities.”

According to Rai, the youth was allegedly targeted due to his caste and political affiliations. “He was killed because he took Rahul Gandhi’s name. The attackers reportedly said they were ‘Baba’s people’. This is a jungle raj under Yogi Adityanath. They kill people and boast about it,” he added.

The Congress has pledged financial support and legal assistance to the victim’s family. Rai, who had visited Fatehpur five days ago, vowed to return with further aid. Despite arrests and police restrictions, he affirmed, “We will not be stopped. Congress will continue its struggle for justice. We stand firmly with the victim’s family, and those responsible will not go unpunished.”