The police have arrested four more persons in connection with the lynching of a Dalit man by villagers who mistook him for a thief in the Unchahar area of Raebareli district, officials said on Wednesday.

Police said the stringent Gangsters Act and the National Security Act (NSA) will be invoked against the accused, and cautioned against attempts to give the incident a casteist slant, saying the accused were unaware of the victim's caste.

While the NSA empowers states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner "prejudicial to the defence of India" with a maximum detention period of 12 months, which can be revoked earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, is aimed at combating organised crime by making special provisions to d

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