A local court in Bahtaich, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced a man to death and has ordered life imprisonment for nine others for the murder of 21-year-old Ramgopal Mishra during communal violence in Maharajganj on October 13 earlier this year. Meanwhile, three accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The violence in Bahraich unfolded during the Puja idol immersion procession when Ram Gopal Mishra was shot, allegedly after trying to replace a flag with a saffron one.
According to District Government Counsel (Criminal) Girish Chandra Shukla, the court of Additional Sessions Judge (First) Pawan Kumar Sharma had on December 9 convicted ten accused individuals—Sarfaraz, Abdul Hameed, Mohammad Talib, Faheem, Zeeshan, Mohammad Saif, Javed, Soeb Khan, Nankau, and Maroof Ali. The court acquitted Khurshid, Shakeel, and Afzal, citing lack of evidence.
The judge sentenced the death penalty to the man identified as the person who shot Mishra and gave life imprisonment to others.
On Thursday, the judge awarded the death penalty to Sarfaraz, identified as the man who fired the fatal shot at Mishra. The remaining nine convicts received life imprisonment. The court also handed down additional prison terms and fines under other relevant offenses apart from the murder conviction.
Initial FIR
In the initial FIR, thirteen people have been named, and two of them were killed in a police encounter while trying to flee; the others were arrested later on.
The killing sparked widespread unrest in Mahsi, Maharajganj, and parts of Bahraich city. The following day saw large-scale vandalism and arson, prompting a heavy security deployment.
The Incident
A violent clash occurred during a Durga idol immersion procession in Bahraich, leading to the death of one individual and injuries to many on October 13, earlier this month. The clash swept over the city after a 22-year-old man identified as Ram Gopal Mishra was shot dead with a bullet piercing through his chest after he was seen replacing the green flag with the saffron one.
Soon after the death of Mishra, the city of Bahraich and its neighboring areas were on edge for days, witnessing various incidents of arson, vandalism, and destruction. Disturbing visuals made rounds on the social media platform, narrating the horrific ordeals of the eyewitnesses. The violent clash started when, after Misra’s last rites in Maharajganj, a city near Bahraich, thousands of Hindus barged into Maharajganj and went on a rampage, selectively targeting Muslim properties, looting, vandalizing, and setting them ablaze.
