On October 13th, a Muslim mob attacked devotees during the immersion of the Maa Durga idol in Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh, leading to the tragic death of 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra. Several other Hindu participants were injured, including Padmakar Dixit, who identified himself as both a victim and eyewitness. Dixit claimed that calls for the attack were made from mosque loudspeakers, a statement that contradicts the Bahraich Police’s official position.
During the procession, Dixit was carrying the Maa Durga idol. After being treated for injuries from the incident, he returned home. A resident of Sipahiya Piyuli village near Maharajganj, Dixit supports his family through milk sales, farming, and other activities. On the day of the attack, while observing a nine-day Navratri fast, he joined the immersion procession with fellow devotees. The idol was being transported on a tractor trolley, and Dixit was carrying it while chanting “Jai Mata Di” when the crowd was pelted with stones.
Dixit recounted to OpIndia that the stone-pelting began suddenly, with one stone breaking the idol’s hand and another damaging its neck. Panic ensued as devotees fled for safety. Dixit said that during the chaos, he heard announcements from a mosque, declaring “Allah hu Akbar” and urging attackers to kill Hindus, with promises of greater rewards for more deaths. According to him, this incited further violence.
Image via OpIndia Hindi
The situation worsened as the Muslim mob approached, leading to increased concern for the safety of children and other vulnerable devotees. Dixit observed women and children among the attackers, with some pelting stones from rooftops. He also noted the presence of sticks, sharp weapons, and glass bottles, questioning how the attackers had managed to gather so many bottles when local shops did not sell them, suggesting premeditation.
Despite pleas for peace from elders on the Hindu side, Dixit said no such appeals came from the Muslim community. He criticized the police for lathi-charging Hindus instead of protecting them, leading to further injuries. He recounted narrowly escaping through fields but fainting from exhaustion. He was later revived by companions and taken to a hospital in Mahsi. His injuries are still healing, and he continues to demand strict action from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath against the attackers.
Dixit rejected the Muslim community’s version of events, calling it a conspiracy to evade accountability. He accused them of attacking Hindus and desecrating idols while falsely portraying themselves as victims. Expressing anger over the police’s response, particularly regarding Sarfaraz and Talib, who were injured in retaliatory police fire, he argued that the police’s inadequate action has emboldened the attackers. He fears further violence, including the potential release of those responsible for Mishra’s murder.
Ram Gopal Mishra’s brutal murder
In a tragic event that has reverberated across Uttar Pradesh, 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra was brutally murdered by a mob on October 13th, 2024, in Bahraich. The attack took place after Mishra replaced a green flag with a saffron one at Abdul Hamid’s residence following a disagreement during a Durga Visarjan religious procession.
Tensions flared near a mosque as the Durga Visarjan procession passed through Maharajganj on October 13th. Eyewitnesses reported that local Muslims attacked Hindus over the playing of music during the procession. The mob threw stones from the mosque, injuring several Hindus, and destroyed the murti (idol) of Maa Durga, further escalating the situation.
According to the post-mortem report, Mishra’s death was caused by multiple gunshot wounds. He had injuries on his face, neck, and arms, and authorities recovered seven pellets from his body, which had 40 entry wounds and two exit wounds. The report detailed 29 wounds on his chest and neck, multiple wounds on both arms and his face, and two exit wounds in the back of his neck, with the injuries showing signs of blackening from gunfire.
The report from October 14th also indicated that Mishra had injuries at eight different spots on his body, including his feet. The post-mortem was conducted by three doctors, video recorded, and followed by an X-ray.
SP Bahraich Vrinda Shukla confirmed that Mishra’s death was solely due to gunshot wounds, dismissing additional injuries claimed on social media as not being part of the post-mortem findings.
Earlier reports by Jagran described Mishra's body as riddled with injuries, with his fingernails ripped off, and noted that he had been shot after enduring severe torture. His mother also observed that his toenails had been torn off when she saw his body. Ram Gopal had been married just two months before the attack.
The accused in the case include Abdul Hamid, his sons Sarfaraz and Faheem, Sahir Khan, and others. On October 17th, police shot two of the accused, Sarfaraz and Talib, as they attempted to flee to Nepal. They were injured and are undergoing treatment.
The violence on October 13th reportedly began when stones were thrown from Abdul Hamid’s house, prompting retaliation from the procession. Mishra allegedly climbed onto the roof, removed two green flags, and attempted to raise a saffron one before being dragged inside the house and killed. Eyewitnesses claimed that the police, present at the scene, remained passive, even lathi-charging the devotees, and appeared powerless against the rioters.
It is reported that Abdul Hamid, identified as the mastermind of the attack, has a son in Nepal, where he attends a madrasa linked to anti-India and anti-Hindu activities. Two of the accused have been apprehended, and efforts are ongoing to capture the remaining suspects. An investigation is underway.
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