Amid fatal communal violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich, a disturbing video of Gopal Mishra, 22, who was shot dead during the clashes has surfaced on social media. The footage captures a moment of him installing a saffron flag on the rooftop of a house reportedly belonging to Muslims.
The viral clip shows Mishra vandalising the fencing of the house, subsequently tearing down a green flag and installing the saffron one there. A large crowd is heard cheering for Mishra and encouraging his actions. This incident occurred shortly before he was shot dead amid escalating tensions during the Durga idol immersion procession in the Maharajgunj area on Sunday, evening October 13.
The communal violence erupted when the procession heading to Gauriya ghat for Durga idol immersion passed through a local mosque in Maharajgunj locality, resulting in disputes over loud DJ music and inflammatory slogans being raised.
The confrontation turned violent between the two groups, leading to stone pelting. The situation escalated widely when Mishra received a bullet shot in his head during the clash and succumbed to his injuries.
Following his death, the protest rocked the area with agitated demonstrates vandalizing property and setting fire to homes of minorities in retaliation. The police detained at least 30 individuals, including a prime suspect linked to the gunfire, superintendent of Police (SP) Vrinda Shukla stated.
Public outrage
As the situation remains tense in the area, public outrage has surged online with many accusing politicians of shielding their own families from the consequences of such violence, sending their children abroad for education while ordinary citizens are left to navigate the chaos due to repeated hate vocabularies.
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