In a chilling incident that has shaken the entire nation, a violent mob attacked and killed Ram Gopal Mishra during Maa Durga murti visarjan procession in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, while police allegedly stood by. The brutal killing occurred in the Maharajganj area, where tensions escalated between the Muslim mob and the Hindu procession, leaving Ram Gopal dead in what eyewitnesses have described as an unprovoked and horrifying lynching. According to reports, his body was dragged into a house owned by Abdul Hamid, where it was further desecrated.
A viral video of the incident, widely circulated on social media, shows Ram Gopal’s lifeless body being attacked with stones and bullets by members of the mob, even after his death. The house from which the attacks were launched belonged to Abdul Hamid, a local resident, whose son, Sarfaraz, is accused of leading the assault. He was encountered by the UP Police on October 17, along with other accused Talib. The UP Police arrested as many as five accused, including Abdul Hamid, Faheem and others.
As per a report by OpIndia, Ram Gopal’s cousin, Kishan Mishra, shared the harrowing details of the attack and his own desperate attempt to retrieve his cousin’s body. The interview took place on October 17 in the village of Rehua, where Kishan recounted the horrors of that fateful day.
Kishan and Ram Gopal shared a close bond, having grown up together, studied together, and even worked as cooks in catering services. “We were more than cousins; we were best friends,” Kishan said, tears welling in his eyes as he remembered the tragic loss. On the day of the visarjan, the two had set out together to honour Maa Durga, unaware that the procession would soon turn into a nightmare.
According to Kishan, the chaos began when stones were hurled by a Muslim mob toward the devotees, and the police, instead of intervening, resorted to a lathi charge. “They began beating us with sticks,” Kishan said, describing how the violence scattered the devotees, leaving Ram Gopal vulnerable. In the midst of the turmoil, Ram Gopal was dragged into Abdul Hamid’s house by the attackers.
Desperate to save his cousin, Kishan repeatedly pleaded with the police to intervene. “I told them Ram Gopal had been taken inside the house,” he recounted, “but they ignored me.” Frustrated and helpless, Kishan and another cousin, Rajan Mishra, took matters into their own hands and tried to reach Ram Gopal themselves, braving a relentless assault of stones and bullets from the mob.
In a heart-wrenching narrative, Kishan described how he and Rajan were forced to navigate rooftops to reach Abdul Hamid’s house. The road was too dangerous, with Muslim assailants firing shots and hurling stones. “We had to enter through a neighboring Hindu house to get onto Abdul Hamid’s roof,” Kishan explained. When they finally reached the rooftop, they found Ram Gopal lying unconscious.
As Kishan and Rajan attempted to lift his body, Sarfaraz, Abdul Hamid’s son, opened fire. Miraculously, the bullet missed its mark, but the danger was far from over. “We dropped Ram Gopal’s body and threw a brick at Sarfaraz,” Kishan recalled. The brick hit Sarfaraz, causing him to drop his gun, giving Kishan and Rajan a precious few moments to retrieve Ram Gopal’s body.
Kishan believes that Abdul Hamid and his family had planned to make Ram Gopal’s body disappear, possibly to cover up the murder. “If we hadn’t retrieved him, they would have hidden the body, and the police would have claimed he was missing,” Kishan alleged. He further speculated that the assailants might have dismembered his cousin’s body to dispose of it.
After retrieving Ram Gopal’s body, Kishan and other devotees ran towards the hospital, still pursued by attackers. Despite Kishan’s desperate requests, the police refused to provide a vehicle to transport the injured Ram Gopal. The devotees, many of whom had been injured by the lathi charge, carried his body on foot for a considerable distance.
“We ran with his body through the streets,” Kishan said, his voice cracking with emotion. When they finally reached the hospital, doctors pronounced Ram Gopal dead. Kishan believes that his cousin might still be alive had the police acted promptly. “If they had provided a vehicle, Ram Gopal would have had a chance,” he said.
As Kishan spoke to reporters, he was overcome with grief, recalling the bond he shared with Ram Gopal. “I lost my best friend and cousin,” he said, breaking down in tears. “I wouldn’t have minded dying alongside him.”
Kishan has since filed a complaint with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, accusing the police of negligence and inaction. He remains haunted by the thought that Ram Gopal’s death could have been prevented if only the authorities had intervened.
