On Sunday, 13th October, a clash broke out between two communities during the immersion of the Devi Durga idol in Rehua Mansoor village in the Hardi police station area of Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, after Muslims objected to DJ music being played in the procession. During the clash, a Hindu man was killed as Islamists opened fire at him, while several others were reportedly injured by stone-pelting. The deceased has been identified as 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra, who was part of the idol immersion group.
The police stated that tension arose after Mishra was shot dead by Islamists
Speaking to the media, Superintendent of Police Vrinda Shukla said that the violence occurred after a person from the Hindu community was shot during an argument. She said, “Today, when a procession was passing by a mosque through a Muslim area in the Maharajganj area of Mahasi, the two communities argued over some issue. During the argument, some individuals started creating chaos. One member of the Hindu community was shot and later died. Following his death, tension erupted in the region, and the Visarjan ceremony was halted at several locations. Some miscreants took advantage of the situation and tried to create further chaos.”
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Bahraich SP Vrinda Shukla says, "Mahasi's Maharajganj area a procession was passing by a Masjid through a Muslim area. The groups argued on some issues…A person from the Hindu community died after bullets were fired on him…At various places, Visarjan… https://t.co/IfH76uNpTK pic.twitter.com/jUWNXr0ZRH
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) October 14, 2024
“The police swiftly swung into action and controlled the situation. The Visarjan at various places was resumed. Additional police personnel were deployed with all Visarjan processions. The police carried out video recording at the locations where violence occurred, and the miscreants are being identified. Thirty people have been arrested in connection with the Maharajganj incident, where a person was shot dead. An FIR has been registered in the matter. The search for the main accused, who is absconding, has been traced, and teams have been deployed to arrest him,” SP Shukla added.
Hindu eyewitnesses alleged Mishra was shot during a lathi charge
Contrary to the police’s statement, eyewitnesses of the Bahraich incident alleged that a Hindu man was killed while the police were dispersing Hindus using a lathi charge. One of the eyewitnesses said, “At the intersection outside Maharajganj, stones were pelted at the idol. The stone pelting came from Abdul Hameed’s house. After the stone-pelting, when we arrived there, we demanded the arrest of those responsible from the authorities. By that time, a large crowd had gathered. Seeing the crowd, the police instead resorted to a lathi charge against us.”
Uttar Pradesh: A disagreement over DJ music in Bahraich turned violent when one side opened fire. After the fight, a young man died from his injuries in the hospital. The trouble started during an idol immersion ceremony. In reaction to the young man's death, local people held a… pic.twitter.com/UmChcktcoJ
— IANS (@ians_india) October 13, 2024
“During the lathi charge, there was chaos. In that chaos, the family members of Abdul Hameed dragged him [Mishra] inside their house and shot him. This is a matter under the jurisdiction of Hardi police station, and Hardi police station is 100% responsible for this incident. Had they wanted to, they could have deployed security personnel in front of Abdul Hameed’s house, arrested the culprits, and calmed the situation. Instead of arresting them, they lathi-charged us. Mishra was set to marry in four months,” he added.
Hindu man killed in Bahraich during Durga Visarjan procession
As per reports, a Hindu man was killed in Bahraich during the Durga Visarjan procession. The incident took place at Rehua Mansoor village on Sunday evening when the idol of Maa Durga was taken out for immersion. When the procession heading towards Gauriya Ghat was passing in front of a mosque in the Maharajganj area chanting religious slogans, Muslims gathered near the mosque and asked the procession to stop the DJ music.
This led to an argument between the two sides, and amid the chaos, some people started pelting stones at the procession and the idols. The Hindus asked the police present to arrest the culprits, but in the meantime, more people from the Muslim community arrived there.
Amid the mayhem caused by the stone pelting, some miscreant opened fire. As per reporters, someone from the residence of Abdul Hameed in the area fired shots. Ram Gopal Mishra, son of Kailash Nath of Rehua Mansoor village was shot from a close range. He was shifted to the Medical College in Bahraich, but he succumbed to injuries during treatment.
Another person named Saroj Tiwari also has been hospitalised after he was injured from stone pelting. Angry with the death of the youth, his family members and others part of the immersion blocked the road by placing the body outside the medical college. Immersions were stopped in the city after the incident, and the idols were placed on the road junction there. The idols have been damaged by stone pelting.
