Update: An investigation by Bihar DGP says that there is no communal angle in Rohit Jaiswal’s death. The victim’s father has changed his statements quite a few times. The father had alleged that his son was sacrificed to make the mosque powerful by Muslims, which police investigation has found untrue. Eventually, father has also disowned the allegations.
As reported on May 10, in a horrific incident a minor Hindu boy named Rohit Jaiswal, a resident of Bela Dih village of Kateya in Gopalganj, Bihar, was allegedly taken to a mosque and killed as a sacrifice to make the mosque ‘powerful’. His body was then thrown into a nearby river. The family of the boy had alleged that when they reached the police station with a complaint, they were brutally beaten up by the police. According to the family member’s claims, the conditions became so hostile that the family was compelled to leave the village and relocate to somewhere in Uttar Pradesh.
Rohit’s father, Rajesh Jaiswal had lodged an FIR at the Gopalganj police station, in which three locals of the village namely, Meraj Ansari, Nizam Ansari and Bashir Ansari were charged for Rohit’s murder. Three minors were also named in the FIR for their alleged involvement in Rohit Jaiswal’s brutal murder.
When OpIndia earlier contacted the father of the deceased 15-year-old, Rajesh Jaiswal, he made several allegations against the local Muslims, the police and the administration. He had also produced several videos to substantiate his claims. Rajesh and his daughter had then pleaded for help. Now, OpIndia once again got in touch with Rohit’s family to ascertain the details of what exactly transpired.
What exactly transpired
Rohit Jaiswal had allegedly gone missing on March 28, 2020. His dead body was recovered the next day, on March 29, from a river, about 3-4 km away from Bela Dih village of Kateya in Gopalganj, Bihar. A huge crowd had assembled near the river when Rohit’s dead body was pulled out of the river. The police also reached the spot after receiving the news of the incident. The deceased’s body was taken out from the river in the presence of the police.
What does the video evidence recorded by father of Rohit Jaiswal reveal
Rajesh Jaiswal had substantiated his claims with few video recordings. In one of the video shot by Rajesh, the police station in-charge, Ashwini Tiwari could be seen abusing Rajesh. The police station in-charge could be also seen abusing the deceased boy’s mother and sister and asking them to leave the police station.
Allegations made by Rohit’s father Rajesh Jaiswal
Rajesh Jaiswal, the father of the victim, claimed that when he had gone to the police station with his wife to plead for justice, they were ill-treated by the police station in-charge, Ashwini Tiwari. A woman’s appeal was also not enough to melt the heart of Ashwini Tiwari, who drove them away from the police station, claimed Rajesh. The father further alleged that Tiwari stripped in front of Rajesh and his wife and made lewd gestures at them. He confessed that he had got Rohit’s autopsy report changed. Tiwari threw an open challenge in front of the bereaved family that they could apply all their resources if they want but they would not be able to do him any harm. Rajesh claimed that he kept receiving constant threats from the accused, but did not receive any help from the police or the administration.
When OpIndia had earlier spoken to Rajesh, he had confirmed that the neighbours who took his 15-year-old son, Rohit, with them, who were all Muslims. Rohit was first taken to the mosque, where he was ‘sacrificed’, claimed Rajesh while speaking to OpIndia. A new mosque had been built in the village and it is being alleged that there is a belief that if a Hindu was ‘sacrificed’, the mosque would become powerful and its influence would increase. This is the reason his son was taken to the mosque secretly, the family claimed.
The guardians of those Muslim children, who were sent to call Rohit, were waiting for all the children in that new mosque. When they reached there along with Rohit, he was captured and allegedly strangulated to death, family alleges. There are allegations that six people were involved in the heinous act.
The police is constantly trying to suppress this incident, said Rajesh. Every time he and his wife went back to the police station hoping to get justice, they went there they were abused and humiliated and sent back. When Rajesh approached police inspector Tiwari and informed him about the threats he and his family were receiving, Tiwari advised him to leave the village and settle elsewhere. Fed up with the atrocities of the police and the Muslims in the village, Rajesh and his family decided to leave the village and went an settled in Uttar Pradesh.
Rajesh Jaiswal’s gravest allegation was that in order to suppress the incident, the police has altered Rohit’s autopsy report according to their whims.
OpIndia also spoke to a local villager who confirmed the incident. Rajesh had further alleged that when he went to the police for the first time with his complaint, the Station President Ashwini Tiwari was reluctant to write the FIR. He even offered to arrange a compensation of Rs 8 lakh and coaxed Rajesh not to lodge an FIR.
Some reports had said that Rohit died due to drowning in the river. But the victim’s family had confirmed that no one from the village even goes near the river from which Rohit’s corpse was recovered. They claimed that a heavy object was tied to the dead body of Rohit to make sure that the body gets fully drowned and does not reappear once it’s dumped in the river. Despite the police being aware of the entire incident, they allegedly kept telling Rajesh that only if he accepts that the death of the child was due to an accident, will he will get the compensation money.
These serious allegations meted out at the police and administration by the deceased’s family are, however, completely different from the police’s version.
Police’s take on the murder of Rohit Jaiswal
OpIndia tried to get in touch with the police station in-charge Ashwini Tiwari several times. On most occasions, he disconnected the call saying he was busy, At last when Tiwari spoke he refuted the allegations and instead confirmed that the police took prompt action in this case and arrested 5 accused and sent them to jail.
SP Manoj Kumar Tiwari also confirmed that the investigation has been handed over to the SDPO and appropriate action has been taken. Hathua DSP also said that action has been taken.
According to some reports, SP Manoj Tiwari has said that according to the postmortem report, Rohit died due to drowning. He had denied the allegations meted out by the victim’s family that Rohit had been sacrificed in a mosque. He had said that the investigation in the case is still going on so at this point of the time nothing could be said conclusively.
The OpIndia effect
After OpIndia reported the incident on May 10, Uttar Pradesh CM, Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and ordered the DM of Deoria to get in touch with the deceased’s family and offer help. The DM of Deoria, in turn, spoke to Rajesh and assured him security. The DM of Deoria also got in touch with the DM of Gopalganj to apprise him of the matter. UP BJP leader Shalabh Mani Tripathi also sent BJYM workers to meet Rajesh Jaiswal and offered support.
Local BJYM leader Abhishek Mishra, along with other leaders, visited the victim’s family and assured them that they will not face any problem in Deoria. He consoled the family and said that the family can contact them whenever they are in problem.
Update: An investigation by Bihar DGP says that there is no communal angle in Rohit Jaiswal’s death. The victim’s father has changed his statements quite a few times. The father had alleged that his son was sacrificed to make the mosque powerful by Muslims, which police investigation has found untrue. Eventually, father has also disowned the allegations.
