In Bahraich, aftershock: ‘Had no clue this could happen’

Very few local residents were seen on the roads on Tuesday. Several youths have left the village fearing arrest, sources said.
Six FIRs — three each on the basis of complaints by the two communities — have been registered at Hardi police station in connection with the violence. The police have detained around 50 persons and raids are being conducted to trace absconding accused.

CM Yogi Adityanath with family members of Ram Gopal Mishra, the dead youth, in Lucknow on Tuesday. (PTI)

On Sunday evening, 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra was killed and several others were injured during a clash between two communities when a Durga idol immersion procession was passing through a Maharajganj village. The clash allegedly started when members of a particular community asked that the music be turned off as the procession passed near their homes and a mosque. The violence escalated the next day, with protesters demanding stringent punishment for the murder culprits. Police eventually used force to bring the situation under control.

The Indian Express visited the violence-affected area and spoke with local residents. Members of both the communities blamed each other and accused senior police officers of failing to deploy adequate personnel.

Some local residents claimed that the large turnout for the Durga idol immersion procession was in response to the sizeable crowd seen during the Barawafat celebrations last month. “A larger police presence should have been deployed, especially after the large gatherings during Barawafat on September 14. The police and administration could not gauge the situation which resulted in clashes,” claimed a local resident, who did not wish to be named.

The house of Abdul Hameed, the prime accused in the murder of Ram Gopal Mishra, was found locked. Hameed, who ran a jewellery shop in the front portion of his house, has been booked along with his two sons, Sarfaraz alias Rinku and Faheem, in the case.

Neha Jaiswal, whose house is located next to Hameed’s, claimed, “When Hameed’s sons asked members of the procession to turn off the DJ music, a heated argument ensued. Faheem and others began pelting stones at the idols and the procession from their terrace. Some members of the procession ran towards their house, but the iron gate was locked from the inside.”

She added, “A mob then entered my house, went to the first floor and reached Hameed’s terrace. They removed a flag hoisted there and beat people present. Enraged, Hameed and others dragged Ram Gopal Mishra, who was part of the mob, inside their house and shot him.”
Another local resident, Vinod Awasthi claimed that the confrontation between the two groups occurred due to the “limited police presence.”

The police did not immediately respond to these allegations.

Mohammad Akram, a local shopkeeper, added, “If there had been a larger police presence, no one would have dared to engage in violence.” Akram’s shop was also destroyed during the clashes.

When contacted, Mohammad Afzal, husband of the village pradhan Afrooz, said that a peace committee meeting was held over a week ago to plan the Durga idol immersion, and it concluded peacefully. “There was no indication that anything like this could happen. This is the first time a communal incident has occurred in our village,” said the pradhan.

A few incidents of protests and arson were reported in parts of the district on Monday night, but police swiftly responded, bringing the situation under control before it could escalate. Raids are now underway to track down those responsible for the violence, police said.
Senior officers, including Home Secretary Sanjeev Gupta, Additional Director General (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash and ADG (Gorakhpur zone) Kalluri S P Kumar, have arrived in Bahraich and are closely monitoring the situation.

Meanwhile, the district administration has deployed people to remove debris from the roadside.

In a statement, the state government said multiple police teams, in coordination with the district administration, are conducting raids to apprehend the accused. The affected areas have been divided into zones, with barriers set up to monitor movement. The UP Police are also actively keeping an eye on social media activity.

Divisional Commissioner (Devipatan) Shashi Bhushan Sushil said, “Peace and order are being upheld throughout the city.” He noted that the areas impacted by the incident have been divided into nine sectors, with activities being monitored closely.

“Police and district administration officials are deployed in two shifts across all sectors, continuously patrolling the areas and assessing the situation. Additionally, nine barriers have been established in the affected zones to check and question individuals entering and exiting these areas,” he said.

Bahraich District Magistrate Monica Rani said local leaders such as Pradhan, Kotedar, Lekhpal, and Secretary have been assigned to strengthen communication with residents in the affected areas. They are actively engaging with villagers, gathering information about their concerns and the incident.

She also mentioned that a control room has been established to assist residents, providing relief kits to families impacted by the incident. Additionally, a revenue team is conducting a survey to assess the damage, ensuring that the administration provides all possible support. Cleaning efforts are also underway in the affected areas.

Additional Director General, Law and Order, Amitabh Yash said that efforts are underway to apprehend the miscreants involved in the incident. He revealed that an additional intelligence team has been deployed to investigate the backgrounds of the suspects. Concurrently, information about the miscreants’ past cases is being collected, along with an assessment of their previous track records.

Forces are being continuously deployed throughout the affected areas and the entire city. Furthermore, some suspects are under surveillance by a special team. The ADG also mentioned that additional senior officers are conducting sector-wise patrols in Bahraich.

Bahraich Superintendent of Police Vrinda Shukla said that 52 miscreants have been jailed so far, with 26 persons apprehended on both Monday and Tuesday. She noted that senior officers are actively involved in continuous patrolling of sensitive areas. Additionally, two more FIRs have been registered in connection with the case, and police teams are conducting raids based on video footage to capture the miscreants.

The SP emphasised that peace and order are being maintained throughout the city, with normal activities resuming as usual.