Main accused in Dalit student’s murder held

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, February 14

The main accused in the killing of a Dalit student of Allahabad University was reportedly arrested today.

Vijay Shankar Singh, a travelling ticket examiner, was arrested from the Sultanpur bus stand around 7 am, Senior Superintendent of Police Akash Kulhary said. The Railways had already suspended him while he was on the run.

Dilip Saroj (26), a second-year LLB student, was thrashed by a group on Saturday following an altercation outside a restaurant. He succumbed to injuries two days later. Kulhari said the police had recovered the iron rod and the brick used in the crime. Four people have already been arrested in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, the police today prevented four BJP leaders from making an on-the-spot probe of the killing. The police said they could not allow the BJP legislators as model code of conduct had been enforced due to the Phulpur Lok Sabha bypoll on March 11. The BJP team of SC and ST legislators included state vice-president and MLC Lakshman Acharya, Mohanlalganj Lok Sabha MP Kaushal Kishore, Bara (Allahabad) MLA Ajay Kumar and Bachrawan (Rae Bareli) MLA Ram Naresh Rawat.

The police stopped the probe team in Teliaganj and sent them to the Circuit House. They were expected to submit their report to the BJP state president within two days. A delegation of students sitting on a fast-unto-death demanding justice for the slain law student met the BJP team. The BJP team assured them of bringing the guilty to book and appealed to them to give up their fast.

BJP’s Lalji Verma had raised Dilip’s case in the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday following which the government had assured arrest of the main accused as soon as possible. (With agency inputs)

30 injuries on body 

• After a scuffle over a trivial issue at an eatery last week, Dilip Saroj (26), a second-year LLB student, was brutally assaulted by four men led by Vijay Shankar Singh, a travelling ticket examiner
• Saroj had gone into a coma and later died
• The killing had been filmed by a passerby and the clip went viral, leading to outrage. His autopsy showed 30 injuries on his body, including several fractures