A court in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, on December 11 delivered its verdict in the October 2024 communal violence case in which Ram Gopal Mishra was killed. Additional Sessions Judge (First) Pawan Kumar sentenced the prime accused, Sarfaraz alias Rinku, to death.
🚨 BIG BREAKING
Bahraich: Sarfaraz has been sentenced to DEATH for the KILLING of Ramgopal Mishra during the Durga Murti immersion violence on 13 Oct 2024.
Abdul Hameed, Maroof Ali, Zeeshan, Javed, Saif, Talib, Faheem & Nankau have been given LIFE IMPRISONMENT. pic.twitter.com/yVCVH7kNwg
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) December 11, 2025
Ten individuals were found guilty on December 10, and sentences were announced the following day. Sarfaraz received the death penalty for fatally shooting Ram Gopal Mishra, while the remaining nine convicted individuals were given life imprisonment. Among them are Sarfaraz’s father, Abdul Hameed, and his brothers Faheem and Talib alias Sabloo. The other convicts are Saif, Javed, Zeeshan, Nankau, Shoaib, and Maruf. Three accused, Khurshid, Shakeel, and Afzal, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence. The charges included Section 103(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), along with Sections 191(2), 191(3), 190, 109(2), 249, 61(2), and Section 30 of the Arms Act.
The judgment came 14 months after the incident, which occurred during a Durga murti immersion procession in Rehua Mansoor village, under the Hardi police station, on October 13, 2024. Tensions escalated when some local Muslims objected to the music being played during the procession, leading to clashes. During the violence, Ram Gopal Mishra reportedly climbed onto a roof and removed green flags displayed there. Shortly afterwards, he was shot dead by Sarfaraz. Several Hindu devotees were also injured in stone pelting, and Durga murtis were damaged. Retaliatory violence by Hindus resulted in vandalism of houses and shops in the area.
Police investigations led to the arrest of 13 main accused. The National Security Act (NSA) was initially invoked against five; Abdul Hameed, Mohammad Talib alias Sabloo, Mohammad Sarfaraz Ahmed alias Rinku, Shakeel Ahmed alias Bablu, and Khurshid, and later extended to the remaining eight accused. In total, 13 FIRs were filed, including 11 at Hardi police station and two at Ramgaon police station.
