UP dalit lynching: Main accused arrested after police encounter in Raebareli

The case of a dalit Hariom Valmiki, who was brutally beaten to death after being mistaken for a thief in UP’s Raebareli district, has sparked political uproar.

The police have arrested the prime accused, Deepak Agrahari, after an encounter on Friday. He sustained a bullet injury to his leg during the operation. Authorities had earlier announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for information leading to his arrest.

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The incident took place on October 1 in the Unchahar area of Raebareli, where Valmiki, who had come from Fatehpur to visit his in-laws, was attacked by local villagers who suspected him of being a thief. He succumbed to the injuries from the brutal assault, and his body was later found dumped near a railway track.

The case gained political traction as both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party raised serious concerns over the state’s law and order situation. Following public outcry and a viral video of the incident, police registered a case and arrested 11 individuals involved in the lynching.

Raebareli police, along with teams from Unchahar, Dalmau, the Special Operations Group (SOG), and surveillance units, had been actively searching for the main accused, Deepak Agrahari, a resident of Pachkhara.

Acting on a tip-off, the joint team was conducting vehicle and suspect checks near Gangaghat when they spotted Agrahari on Friday afternoon.

On seeing the police, Agrahari tried to flee and opened fire on the team in an attempt to escape. The police returned fire, injuring him in the left leg. He was subsequently arrested and taken to the district hospital for treatment. No police personnel were injured in the encounter.

According to officials, 10–15 other individuals involved in the incident have been identified, and efforts are underway to apprehend them across different districts and states.