Condemning the rising crimes and attacks against Dalits under BJP-Yogi regime in Uttar Pradesh, CPI(ML) State Secretary Sudhakar Yadav, quoting the report of the party's fact finding team, said on January 12 said that that three Dalits have been murdered in Raebareli within a week. A six-member team led by state committee member Vijay Vidrohi visited the incident sites and met the victims' families and gathered information about the incidents. Expressing solidarity with the victim’s families, the fact-finding team has demanded justice and arrest of perpetrators.
According to the fact-finding team’s report, two murders occurred in Umran village, under the Salon police station, between January 2 and 7, while the third took place on January 9 in the neighbouring Rasulpur village. The police, instead of taking appropriate action, appear to be attempting to cover up the cases by portraying them as accidents or suicides.
In the first incident, Khunnu (50) was found hanging from a tree on January 3 in Umran village. His feet were tied with a muffler, and his phone and money were missing. Khunnu had reportedly collected wages from kiln owners to distribute to labourers a day before his death. Despite these circumstances, the police have ruled it a suicide, and no arrests have been made.
The second incident occurred on the night of January 7, when Ramkhelawan (50) was brutally murdered near the roadside in Umran village using an axe and a knife. Under pressure from villagers’ outrage, the police arrested one person but have yet to investigate the involvement of others suspected in the case.
The third murder took place on January 9 in Rasulpur village. In this case, too, the police are reportedly attempting to dismiss the death as an accident.
CPI(ML) state secretary Sudhakar Yadav criticised the BJP government, claiming that Uttar Pradesh continues to lead in Dalit atrocities under its regime. He demanded an impartial investigation into the murders to uncover the truth. He further highlighted that both families of the Umran victims are landless labourers dependent on daily wages. The party has called for compensation of Rs. 20 lakh and one hectare of land for each bereaved family.
The fact-finding team included district secretary Uday Patel, All India Kisan Mahasabha leader Phoolchand Maurya, Ambedkar-Bhagat Singh Youth Brigade members Amit Yadav and Guddu Sonkar, and labour leader Ram Sajeevan.
