A Dalit man in Rae Bareli died after being allegedly beaten with sticks and belts by a group that scoffed at his claim that he knew Rahul Gandhi, who represents the seat in Parliament, and told him that “everybody here belongs to Baba”.

The victim has been identified as Hari Om, 38. In a social media video, the alleged assailants are seen accusing him of being a drone thief.

Five people were arrested on Sunday in connection with the attack, believed to have taken place on October 1. The video has been circulating since Saturday evening.

The Congress posted on X: “The lynching of a Dalit youth in Rae Bareli is unfortunate. We are with the aggrieved family. The Dalit youth is taking the name of Rahul Gandhi as his last hope, but the killers don’t stop and reply to him that they belong to the ‘Baba’. This incident tells us that the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has given freedom to criminals. It has particularly closed its eyes to the crimes against Dalits.”

The party said Rahul had spoken to the father and brother of the victim.

Sources said Hari Om was travelling from his village, Taravati, to Unchahar, where his wife works and stays, on October 1 when some people standing on the road in Ishwardaspur stopped him and started beating him with belts and sticks. The attackers later threw him on the railway tracks and left. His body was found there on October 2.

Pinki Devi, Hari Om’s wife, said he suffered from Down syndrome.