Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Nitin Raut on Thursday was detained by Uttar Pradesh police near Azamgarh border while he was heading to meet family of Dalit sarpanch Satyamev Jayate, who was allegedly shot dead.
Dalit sarpanch, Satyamev Jayate aka Pappu Ram, was allegedly shot dead by three motorcycle-borne men last Friday in village Bansgaon in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh.
Taking to Twitter, Uttar Pradesh Congress tweeted: "Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and National President of scheduled caste department Nitin Raut was detained at Azamgarh border."
Earlier, in a statement, Maharashtra Energy Minister Raut has called the incident as "gruesome" and has expressed concern over the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh and 'growing attacks on Dalits'.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in crimes against Dalits, ranging from rape, murder, violence and land-related issues, Uttar Pradesh remains among the top states, followed by Gujarat. As per the NCRB data, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a substantial increase of 47 per cent from year 2014 to 2018 in the crimes committed against Dalits followed by 26 per cent in Gujarat, 15 per cent in Haryana, 14 per cent in Madhya Pradesh and 11 per cent in Maharashtra.
