In a heart breaking incident that took place in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich, a 22 year old youth, Ram Gopal Mishra has lost his life after he was shot multiple times on Sunday. As per police, Maa Durga idol immersion procession was going on and during which, an argument broke out over music being played during the procession, which soon turned into a huge communal clash which led to stone pelting and firing on several people who had gathered for the procession. Ram Gopal Mishra was immediately taken to a nearby hospital but could not survive during the treatment and died at the hospital.
Apart from him, at least 7 people were injured due to the violence followed by which tension as well as anger can be seen among the people. To bring this situation to control, police have been deployed in the area where several people carrying ‘lathis’ are gathering from nearby cities. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has condemned the tragic incident and has assured that those who are responsible will not be spared. Due to the heated atmosphere, other similar processions were cancelled in Fakharpur town and other areas. But Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the administration for continuation of idol immersion processions. He has also directed that religious organisations should coordinate to ensure that the immersion processions happen as scheduled.
Who is behind the Bahraich Clashes?
Outrage can be seen among people due to Ram Gopal Mishra’s death and people have taken on the roads. Villagers are vandalising vehicles and setting them on fire in the Maharajganj market. It can be seen in the image that, 12 to 14 bullet marks are visible on the dead person’s body. It was reported that the victim was dragged to a house where he was shot multiple times. The family of the deceased has refused to perform his last rites and have stated that they will proceed with the funeral only when the accused have been arrested. Meanwhile, among those who have been arrested in connection with this case, a few have been identified as Abdul Hamid, Sarfaraz, Faheem, Sahir Khan, Nankau, and Marf Ali.
Further, IPS Vrinda Shukla has informed the media that 30 of the suspects have been arrested who were involved in the Maharajganj firing incident and cases have been registered against them. Vrinda Shukla has dispatched a special team to identify and arrest those people involved in using weapons during the clash. The dispatched team is conducting checks at homes of accused and suspects and reports suggest that swords and weapons have been discovered and bricks and stones have been kept on the terrace which indicates that it was a well planned attack by the opposite people. Reports also suggest that, one of the suspects, named Salman was also arrested after police found evidence of firing from his home and shop.
The people claimed that if the police would have actively responded to the situation, this incident could be avoided. In response to which, due to negligence, Hardi police Station head SK Verma and Mahsi outpost in-charge Shiv Kumar were suspended. Meanwhile, to control the situation, ADG Gorakhpur zone KS Pratap Kumar and DIG Devipattan, Amarendra Pratap Singh, have been dispatched to the incident site with additional forces. The investigation is going on swiftly and as soon as the processions complete, the investigation will be conducted with even more strictness.