A Dalit man was beaten to death earlier this week by shopkeepers in Uttar Pradesh, allegedly after he revealed his caste to them. The 22-year-old was accused of stealing wrist watches from a stall at a fair in Lakhimpur Kheri district. The police arrested storekeepers Pushpendra Singh and Sanjeev Verma on Wednesday. The watches were allegedly stolen from Singh's shop.

According to the FIR filed in the case, the shopkeepers thrashed Avaneesh and hit him in the head with a stick after they caught him and asked him his caste on Tuesday. Avaneesh's 14-year-old neighbour, Prasoon, filed the complaint. He also sustained injuries after trying to help him, The Indian Express reported.

The two accused will be produced in court on Thursday. The police are on the lookout for two other men who beat the 22-year-old. Station House Officer of Gola Police Station Ashok Pandey said Avaneesh and Prasoon had first gone to the Gola Gokarannath temple and then to the annual Bhootnath Mela, where the incident took place.