On Sunday (13th October 2024), an Islamist mob killed Ram Gopal Mishra in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh. The same mob also vandalised the idols of Maa Durga being taken for immersion, protesting against which, many devotees were injured.
After this anti-Hindu violence, the violent mob played the victim card and the leftists started portraying the Muslim community as the victim. OpIndia’s investigation revealed that the real victims of the violence are Hindus.
It has also been claimed that the attack on the devotees was instigated from the mosque. However, the Bahraich administration continues to deny this claim of many eyewitnesses.
This violence took place in Maharajganj market, which falls in Hardi police station area of Bharaich. Maruti Nandan Tripathi, an eyewitness of this violence, spoke to OpIndia. Maruti told us that when the violence started, he was watching the fair at the immersion site, about 1 km away from the incident site. As soon as he got information about the attack on the phone, he reached Maharajganj market. At that time, the angry Hindus were demanding action from the police administration against those who pelted stones on the idol and forcibly stopped the DJ.
Maruti Nandan said that the administration was not paying any attention to the complaints of the devotees, due to which the tension was increasing. During the protest, stones were again pelted on Hindus in the presence of the police, due to which some people started beating the tin shed of Abdul Hamid’s house. Then, Ram Gopal Mishra got angry and he went to the roof of Abdul Hamid. Here, after taking out the green flag, he was shot dead.
Earlier, Islamists had uprooted the flag of Hindus. Maruti Nandan Tripathi says that apart from stone pelting and attack on Durga idols, Islamists had uprooted the flags of Hindus installed along the way. Some people were coming down with the unconscious body of Ram Gopal Mishra from Abdul Hamid house, then bullets were fired, the video of which is also available. No vehicle could be found to take the injured Ram Gopal to the hospital. Some people were taking him in an e-rickshaw, when its battery died halfway through. The remaining distance from there was covered by bike. Ram Gopal was declared dead on arrival in the hospital.
Most of the devotees left the idol alone and went to the hospital with Ram Gopal Mishra. The administration lathicharged the remaining Hindus. The Islamist mob took advantage of the stampede caused by this lathicharge. Maruti Nandan further tells that many Islamists came out of their houses and broke the idols on the road. At the same time, many people attacked the devotees in groups. Taking advantage of the lathicharge by the police, an Islamist mob chased the devotees for a long distance.
The order to attack the procession was received from the mosque
Maruti Nandan Tripathi’s allegation about the announcements from the mosque present at the site of the incident, is diametrically opposite to the claims of Bahraich police. Maruti Nandan says that the attack on the devotees of Maa Durga was incited from the mosque. According to Maruti Nandan, when Ram Gopal climbed the roof of Abdul Hamid’s house, it was announced from the mic of the mosque, “Everyone gather. We will not let him go. Beat him.” The violent mob that came out after this even included children and old people.
Eyewitness Maruti Nandan further tells us that he saw most of the Islamist mob on the roofs as well. They were apparently throwing stones and bottles. They came out of the houses and broke any vehicle going to the immersion procession.
We don’t know what happened to our idols
While talking to us, Maruti Nandan Tripathi became emotional. He said that he does not know what happened to the idols of his beloved Maa Durga, which he was going to immerse with devotion, after the attack. He says that there were more than half a dozen such idols which got stuck in the middle due to the attack by the Islamist mob. Then the devotees fled from there due to the lathicharge by the police. Maruti Nandan does not know what happened to those idols later.
In his statement, Maruti Nandan further says that he had heard that later the administration had the idols of Maa Durga immersed. However, Maruti Nandan was very hurt by this kind of attack on his religious sentiments. Maruti Nandan has also demanded from the government to pay attention to the family of Ram Gopal Mishra.
The shop is just a sham, the real work is smuggling across the border
The main accused in Maharajganj violence is Abdul Hamid and his family. Abdul Hamid works as a jeweler but Maruti Nandan considers it to be just a sham. Maruti Nandan claims that Abdul Hamid’s family has long been involved in crimes like smuggling from the Nepal border. Referring to his elder son Pintu, Maruti Nandan says that the police from Nepal have come several times to arrest him.
Maruti Nandan further says that Sarfaraz, who shot Ram Gopal, also used to often indulge in hooliganism in Maharajganj and its surrounding areas. This entire family is basically accused of smuggling weapons from the Nepal border. Maruti Nandan claims that the system that Abdul Hamid has created cannot be created from a jeweler’s shop.
It was the Hindus who received the blows of lathi and bullets, no one from the other side got even a scratch
Maruti Nandan Tripathi describes the incident of Sunday (13th October) as completely one-sided. He says that during the violence, both the Islamist mob and the police force attacked the devotees together. While the police were lathicharging, the Islamist mob was throwing stones, bottles and bullets. Maruti Nandan told us that more than half a dozen people were injured and one who died due to the violence were also from the Hindu community. He claims that not even a single Muslim got a scratch because the police showed all its force only on the devotees.
OpIndia decided to investigate these claims of Maruti Nandan. We reached Nathuapur, another village affected by the violence on October 13, which is about 5 km from Maharajganj. Here we saw Muslim families sitting comfortably outside their homes and talking in the Hindu-dominated village. During this time we met Mohammad Kaleem who told in Awadhi language, “Humka to koi parisam nahin hai. Maris-peetis koi nahin.” (We have no problem. No one beat me up).
