'Dalit youth couldn't even yell for help'

Lucknow: The Dalit youth who was murdered in Lakhimpur Kheri after being accused of stealing a wrist watch was gagged before being done to death so he could not even cry for help. The victim was killed barely a hundred meters from the police picket but the incident came to light after the lone eye-witness informed the cops.
These details were provided to police by the victim's minor friend who was also targeted but managed to escape from scene.
"They first asked Avneesh about his caste. The moment he said he was a Pansi, they dragged him into the space between two stalls at the mela where they stuffed a piece of cloth into his mouth and then hit him on his head with sticks," said Prasoon who was with Avneesh when the incident took place.
Working as a helper with a catering unit in Delhi, Avneesh had come home to his native village of Nakhera in Lakhimpur on July 20 to spend some time with his family. His father, a petty farmer, owns two bighas of land -the main source of earning for the family. Third-eldest among five brothers, Avneesh left home on Monday with his neighbour Prasoon (13) for the annual monthlong fair -Bhootnath Mela -where he visited a stall selling wrist watches. It was here that he allegedly entered into an altercation with the stall owners -later identified as Pushpendra Singh and Sanjeev Verma -who accused him of stealing watches.
Though police have arrested two people in connection with the murder, they were on the lookout for the remaining four who were reportedly involved in the crime and have been absconding since, said circle officer, Gola, deputy superintendent of police Anurag Darshan who is the investigating officer of the case.