India, Oct. 5 -- A political row has erupted after a 38-year-old Dalit man was beaten to death in Rae Bareli district in Uttar Pradesh in what the police said was due to panic regarding "drone thieves", referring to rumours that some people are using drones to take away items from homes.

But Congress leaders including spokesperson Shama Mohamed, referring to a viral video of the crime, claimed on Sunday that the lynch mob consisted of supporters of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath. "When he repeatedly said 'Rahul Gandhi', those criminals claimed they were supporters of Yogi," Mohamed wrote on X.

She pointed fingers at both the state and the central governments, saying "no one is safe under the BJP government".

A video clip showing a g...