The Uttar Pradesh government has sent top officials, including the home secretary and ADGP (law and order) to Bahraich to bring the situation under control.
A large crowd, some carrying sticks, walked with the funeral procession of a youth killed during a Durga procession in Bahraich. His family and others called for justice on a tense day that saw shops set on fire and angry crowds moving through the streets.
The last rites of 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra, who died in Sunday’s communal violence in Maharajganj near Rehua Mansoor village, were held under heavy police security.
Around six people were injured in the stone-pelting and firing that erupted after Mishra’s death. Police officials confirmed that internet services have been suspended in Bahraich district as a precaution.
Police have arrested three people and filed a case against six identified and 24 unidentified individuals for murder and other charges. Around 30 people have been detained, with raids ongoing to apprehend Salman, one of the main accused.
Here is how the situation has unfolded in Bahraich
- Protests erupted at various locations with slogans against police and officials, as police conducted flag marches. Black smoke rose from burning shops, houses, and vehicles.
- Mishra, a villager, was part of the Durga idol immersion procession when he was shot. He was taken to the hospital but died during treatment, his family said.
- The angry crowd blocked the busy road in front of Mahsi tehsil, sitting with the body. They refused to cremate it until justice was served and demanded a police encounter for those responsible, house demolitions, and compensation for the family.
- As tensions escalated, the Uttar Pradesh government has sent top officials including home secretary Sanjeev Gupta and additional director general of police (law and order) Amitabh Yash to Bahraich.
- Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya posted on X, saying, “Any attempt to disturb peace in Uttar Pradesh will fail. Those supporting the rioters are becoming active again, so we must remain cautious and vigilant.”
- Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav appealed for peace and termed the Bahraich violence as “sad.”. He alleged the government knows the reason for the violence and its action against junior officials won’t help the situation. The administration should have been alert while the (Durga idol) procession was being taken out.
- Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed that the violence in Bahraich along with the administration’s “inaction,” is “extremely sad and unfortunate.”
- Sunday’s violence was triggered by a disagreement over music being blasted out from loudspeakers while the procession was passing through the area.