By TNN
Lucknow: A day after a 22-year-old Dalit man, Arjun Pasi, was shot dead in a Rae Bareli village, six men were arrested Tuesday. Police teams solved the case in around 24 hours based on surveillance and an informer’s tip-off, Rae Bareli SP Abhishek Agarwal said. The village remains under heavy police cover.
Police identified the six as Naveen Singh, Harshit Mishra, Ankit Kumar, Phool Chand, Arjun Yadav, and Anshu Yadav.
Investigations revealed that after an altercation on Aug 11 (Sunday), Pasi had allegedly slapped Naveen and publicly humiliated him, following which Naveen and his associates planned to avenge the insult. They asked Pasi to meet on the pretext of settling the issue. When Pasi arrived, he was shot dead, police said.
Salon circle officer Pradeep Kumar, who led the probe, said Pasi — a resident of Bhuwalpur Sisni — got into a dispute with Naveen, also a local, during Nag Panchami festival on Aug 11. “Pasi and some villagers were attending the festival when Naveen, who was allegedly intoxicated, began abusing them using foul language. When Naveen didn’t heed Pasi’s warning, it led to a physical altercation that ended with Pasi slapping Naveen. Eventually, other villagers intervened and the matter was defused,” CO Kumar said.
This story was originally published in timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Read the full story here.