Allahabad law student lynching case: Main accused arrested from Sultanpur

The Yogi Adityanath government had deployed police and RAF personnel at Allahabad University o Tuesday. (Source: Twitter/@ANINewsUP)

In a major breakthrough in the Dalit student lynching case, the main accused was arrested from Sultanpur in the wee hours of Wednesday. Senior superintendent of police Akaash Kulhari said Vijay Shankar Singh, who is a ticket examiner in Railways, took shelter in various places like Faizabad to dodge the police and was nabbed from Sultanpur bus stand. The development comes after protests over the death of LLB student Dileep Saroj, 26, turned violent on Monday, with the Yogi Adityanath government deploying police and RAF personnel at Allahabad University.

Saroj, a Dalit and a resident of Pratapgarh district, was allegedly beaten up and dragged after he got into an argument with a group of youths outside a restaurant on February 9. The matter came to light after some videos surfaced on social media. One such video, reportedly shot by a passerby, shows two people beating Saroj with an iron rod and bricks, while his friends are seen trying to stop them. Saroj succumbed to injuries two days later.

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The incident sparked an outrage and a group of youths, allegedly students of Allahabad University, on Monday staged violent protests in the city, torching a state roadways bus. The students marched to the SSP office and demanded immediate arrest of all the accused and strict action against them. They also sought a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for the family of the deceased. Police have already arrested the three accomplices of Singh for their involvement in the murder.

Bus torched by people in protest against death of an LLB student of Allahabad University. (Source: Twitter/@ANI_news)

The incident took a political turn with the Yogi Adityanath government coming in for criticism from the opposition parties. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had said the incident showed UP was in the “grip of criminal elements”. BSP chied Mayawati said the killing was the result of “narrow and casteist politics of hatred” being pursued by BJP.