A Dalit youth in Uttar Pradesh was caught on camera being brutally beaten to death by a group of agitated men who accused him of being a drone thief, as the victim, in his final moments, named Rahul Gandhi as his last hope of being saved, and his attackers responded, “Yeh Baba ka raj hai (This is Baba’s kingdom),” apparently referring to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, before his battered, semi-naked body was later found near Ishwar Daspur railway station on October 2.
The killing, captured in disturbing footage that circulated online, has intensified outrage over rising incidents of mob lynching and the normalisation of caste-based violence in the state.
Thirty-eight-year-old Hari Om from Fatehpur Kotwali had been travelling towards Dadedpur Majre Ishwardaspur on the Unchahar-Dalmaun road when about 25 villagers stopped him around 1 am, suspecting him of stealing drones that had reportedly been seen hovering over nearby fields.
Despite his attempts to convince them that he lived in a nearby village, the men refused to believe him and began beating him with sticks and belts, dragging him through the road while accusing him of theft. During the assault, Hari Om, bleeding and exhausted, uttered Rahul Gandhi’s name in desperation, apparently believing that invoking the name of the local MP could make his attackers relent.
However, instead of stopping, they mocked him by invoking Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s authority, suggesting impunity under his rule, and continued the assault until he collapsed.
Police recovered Hari Om’s body later that morning near the railway track and registered a murder case against 12 accused, arresting six, including Vaibhav Singh, Vipin Maurya, Sahdev Pasi, Suresh Maurya, and Vijay Kumar. Investigators said the attack stemmed from widespread rumours of drone thefts spreading panic across several villages, even though no evidence has linked drones to criminal activity.
The incident drew severe criticism from opposition parties, which accused the Uttar Pradesh government of enabling mob violence through administrative silence and selective law enforcement.
Congress leaders described the attack as a reflection of deep-seated caste prejudice and growing lawlessness, while Rahul Gandhi, who represents Rae Bareli, reportedly spoke to the victim’s family, promising assistance. Other parties, including the Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party, also condemned the killing, calling it another sign of a fractured society where hatred and vigilantism override law and justice.