Dalit man set ablaze in U.P. dies

The victim, a painter, was mistaken for a thief

A Dalit man, who was thrashed and set ablaze by locals in Barabanki district last week on suspicion of being a thief, succumbed to his injuries on Monday.

Sujit Kumar, 25, died at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civil Hospital in Lucknow early on Monday, said its chief medical superintendent Ashok Kumar Singh.

The body had been sent for post-mortem and the exact cause of death would be known after that, Dr. Singh told

The Hindu .

The victim’s family members said late on Thursday night he was walking to his in-laws house, about 5 km away, when he was chased by stray dogs near Raghopur village under the Dewa police station.

In panic, he entered a house to escape the dogs but its occupants allegedly mistook him for a thief and started thrashing him.

The accused then poured petrol and set him afire, said Barabanki SP Akash Tomar.

A doctor at the hospital said Sujit had suffered 25-30% burns.

Rekha, Sujit’s sister, and her husband Alok Kumar, said Sujit gave his assaulters the phone number of his family and full residential address to prove his innocence, but in vain.

“He gave our number to prove his innocence. But they did not listen to him and even after thrashing him were not satisfied, so they set him on fire,” said Alok.

Sujit, who belongs to the Jatav community, worked as a painter and had left behind wife and two infants.

Two persons were arrested and a search was on for the others booked in the FIR.