Following the violent communal clashes in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich town, several media outlets, including Aaj Tak and Zee News have come under scrutiny for their misleading and sensational coverage regarding the death of 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra. These channels claimed that Mishra was already on the hit list of Muslims and subjected to severe torture, including electric shocks and mutilation.
Certain right-wing pages and media outlets made sensational claims. Sudhir Chaudhary, known for his fake sting operation in 2007 against a female teacher echoed these reports on Aaj Tak and alleged that Mishra was killed with a sword and his nails were pulled out. He insinuated that such violence was unprecedented in India despite Hindus being the majority.
However Bahraich police categorically debunked these assertions while issuing strict warnings against those who share this misleading information.
Bahraich violence
The violence broke out on Sunday evening, October 13, sparked by a dispute over loud music being played during the Durga idol immersion procession. The clashes resulted in the death of Mishra and left several others critically injured. A video surfaced showing Mishra storming into a house reportedly belonging to Muslims and vandalising it before installing a Saffron flag on the rooftop of the house.
The clip further depicts Mishra being shot multiple times and collapsing immediately. The police clarified that Mishra had received 20 bullets in his body and succumbed to gunshot wounds rather than any form of physical abuse. The officials emphasized that spreading such misinformation could further inflame communal tensions in an already volatile situation.
In response to the misinformation circulating on social media, the Bahraich police took proactive measures by issuing warnings on their official X-page against spreading false narratives.
In one post the police wrote, “Misleading and false facts related to the recent communal incidents in Bahraich district are being wrongly written and circulated on various platforms through some social media accounts. In such a situation, there may be a possibility of communal harmony deteriorating in the future. All such misleading posts based on false facts will be taken seriously and legal action will be taken against the concerned social media accounts. Everyone is instructed to please not spread false information other than the facts issued by the administration”.
Citing the autopsy reports the police wrote, “Misinformation like electrocuting the deceased, killing him with a sword and pulling out nails etc. was spread on social media with the aim of disturbing communal harmony regarding the murder of a Hindu person in an incident that took place in Maharajganj police station in Hardi district Bahraich on 13.10.2024. There is no truth in it. In the postmortem, the cause of death was found to be due to bullet injury. Apart from one person, no one else has died in this incident. Therefore, everyone is requested not to pay heed to rumours and spread misleading information to maintain communal harmony.”
BJP MLA sparks tension over Bahraich
Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi also exacerbated communal tension by targeting Muslim journalists in a controversial social media post. Tripathi shared a list of 13 Muslim journalists on X, questioning their “impartiality” and alleging that they were part of a system that conspires to protect rioters by spreading “fake news”.
Current situation in Bahraich
After quelling riots, internet services were temporarily suspended in Bahraich as a precautionary measure to prevent further violence. So far, more than 55 people have been detained in connection with the riots, and security forces continue operating in the country to maintain order in the region. The situation is gradually returning to normalcy, although tensions remain high.
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