Dalit man murder: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rae Bareli MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and demanded action against the murderer of 22-year-old Dalit man Arjun Pasi. The Congress leader claimed that the main accused Vishal Singh has not been arrested yet due to political protection. He urged CM Yogi to ensure the arrest of the main accused so that the victim's family can get justice.
In a letter, the Congress MP said Arjun Pasi, a resident of Pichwariya village under his parliamentary district Raebareli, was shot dead on August 11, 2024. Last week he had gone to the house of the victim's family to express condolences, he said.
'Accused enjoys political protection'
"The family members informed me about the incident and told me that out of the seven named accused in the incident, six have been arrested, but the main accused Vishal has not been arrested yet. It was also brought to my notice by the family members and other villagers that Vishal Singh enjoys political protection, due to which he is not being arrested," Gandhi said in his letter in Hindi.
After meeting the victim's family, Rahul Gandhi said, he met the district magistrate and superintendent of police on the same day and discussed to them about the incident and informed them about the seriousness of the matter. "Even after two weeks of the incident, the main accused has not been arrested yet, due to which the victim's family and the local Dalit community are forced to live in an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Also, a very poor, exploited, Dalit family is being denied justice," the Congress said.
"Therefore, you are requested to get the main accused arrested as soon as possible so that the victim's family can get justice. Please inform me about the action taken in this regard," he added.
Arjun Pasi was shot dead
The victim, Arjun Pasi, was shot dead on August 11 allegedly after an altercation with some locals over money owed by the accused to his brother, who is a barber. Six people have been arrested in the case so far, according to police.
Rahul Gandhi on August 20 met the family of the deceased and claimed that the people in the area were angry because no action was being taken against the "mastermind" behind the killing.
"All people here are demanding justice because a Dalit man has been killed. His entire family has been threatened, one person has been killed but no action is being taken here...," Gandhi had told reporters at Bhuvalpur Sisni village.
After his brief interaction with the victim's family, Gandhi said the killing of the Dalit man was a "clear-cut" case of injustice and he would "put pressure" to ensure that justice is delivered to them. “This is a clear-cut injustice and this needs to be rectified. What punishment is to be given is up to the court but I can put pressure and I will not step back,” Rahul added.
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