U.P. Congress chief Ajay Rai meeting the family of the deceased Dalit man in Raebareli on Monday, October 6, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Condemning the killing of a Dalit man in Raebareli, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (October 7, 2025) issued a joint statement which said the Raebareli lynching was a crime against the Indian Constitution and Dalits, and a blot on the nation and society.In their joint statement, Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi alleged that mob lynching, “bulldozer injustice”, and mobocracy had become a “horrifying hallmark of our times”.A 40-year-old Dalit man identified as Hariom was allegedly lynched by villagers who mistook him for a thief during a night vigil amid rumours that a gang was using drones to mark houses for robberies. A purported video of the incident went viral on Sunday night. Some locals told reporters that the incident had taken place on the night of October 1.Mr. Gandhi, who represents Raebareli in the Lok Sabha, said the brutal murder of Hariom was not just the murder of one person but the murder of humanity, the Constitution, and justice.रायबरेली में दलित युवक हरिओम वाल्मीकि की निर्मम और क्रूर हत्या की कांग्रेस पार्टी कड़ी से कड़ी निंदा करती है। हमारा संयुक्त वक्तव्य — हमारे देश में एक संविधान है, जो हर इंसान को समानता के भाव से पहचानता है। एक कानून है, जो हर नागरिक की सुरक्षा, उसके अधिकार और उसकी अभिव्यक्ति… pic.twitter.com/uY6DuLISdN— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) October 7, 2025“Today in India, Dalits, tribals, Muslims, backward classes, and the poor — everyone whose voice is weak, whose share is being snatched away, and whose life is considered cheap — is being targeted. Hate, violence, and mobocracy have the patronage of power in this country — where bulldozers have replaced the Constitution, and fear has replaced justice,” the Congress leader said in a post on social media platform X.“They will surely get justice,” Mr. Gandhi said, expressing solidarity with Hariom’s family. “India’s future rests on equality and humanity, and this country will be governed by the Constitution, not the whims of the mob,” he said.Sharing the joint statement on his X handle, Mr. Kharge said the Congress party strongly condemned the brutal and cruel murder of the Dalit youth, Hariom Valmiki, in Raebareli.“What happened in Raebareli is a grave offence against the Constitution of this country. It is a crime against the Dalit community and a stain on this country and society. The number of crimes against Dalits, minorities, and the poor in the country has increased beyond limits. This violence is most prevalent against those who are deprived, Bahujan, and those who have neither adequate participation nor representation,” the statement read.Whether it was the crimes against women in Hathras and Unnao, the institutionalised murder of Rohit Vemula, the inhuman incident of a leader urinating on a tribal youth in Madhya Pradesh, the brutal beating of Dalits in Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, or the murders of Pehlu Khan in Haryana and Akhlaq in Uttar Pradesh, or more recently, the killing of Hariom, each incident reflects the growing insensitivity of our society, administration, and the ruling powers, the statement said.“Violence cannot be a hallmark of any civilised society. Therefore, what happened to Hariom poses a serious question mark on our collective morality,” Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi said, adding that, “Since 2014, trends like mob lynching, bulldozer injustice, and mobocracy have become a horrifying hallmark of our times.”“The Congress party is committed to the empowerment of the marginalised 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 said. Published - October 07, 2025 05:51 pm IST
