In a powerful joint statement issued on Tuesday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, vehemently condemned the tragic killing of a Dalit man in Raebareli. They declared the lynching a grave offense against the Indian Constitution, a direct attack on the Dalit community, and a shameful blot on the nation’s collective conscience.
The leaders asserted that disturbing trends such as mob lynching, instances of ‘bulldozer injustice,’ and unchecked mobocracy have regrettably become a “horrifying hallmark of our times,” signifying a perilous erosion of societal values.
The tragic incident involved 40-year-old Hariom, a Dalit man, who was brutally lynched by villagers. He was reportedly mistaken for a thief during a night vigil, fueled by rumors of a gang using drones to identify homes for robberies. A distressing video of the event circulated widely on Sunday night, with local reports indicating the incident occurred on October 1.
Rahul Gandhi, who represents Raebareli in the Lok Sabha, underscored the gravity of the situation, stating that Hariom’s brutal murder transcended the killing of an individual; it was an assault on humanity, the Constitution, and the very concept of justice itself.
In a poignant post on social media platform X, Mr. Gandhi lamented, “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.”
He expressed unwavering solidarity with Hariom’s family, vowing that they “will surely get justice.” Mr. Gandhi affirmed, “India’s future rests on equality and humanity, and this country will be governed by the Constitution, not the whims of the mob.”
Echoing these sentiments, Mallikarjun Kharge also shared the joint statement on his X handle, emphasizing the Congress party’s strong condemnation of the “brutal and cruel murder of the Dalit youth, Hariom Valmiki, in Raebareli.”
The statement further elaborated, “What happened in Raebareli is a grave offense 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 Congress leaders drew parallels to a series of past atrocities, stating that whether it be crimes against women in Hathras and Unnao, the institutionalized murder of Rohit Vemula, the deeply disturbing incident of a leader urinating on a tribal youth in Madhya Pradesh, the brutal beatings of Dalits in Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, or the murders of Pehlu Khan in Haryana and Akhlaq in Uttar Pradesh, along with the recent killing of Hariom, each event starkly reveals the escalating insensitivity within Indian society, its administration, and the ruling powers.
“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 jointly declared. They reiterated that “Since 2014, trends like mob lynching, bulldozer injustice, and mobocracy have become a horrifying hallmark of our times.”
The statement concluded with a powerful call to action: “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.”