In the Bahraich violence case, Rukhsar, sister of the arrested accused Mohammad Sarfaraz, acknowledged that her brother fired the shot that resulted in Ramgopal Mishra's death. She stressed that a massive crowd was at their door, and Sarfaraz fired in self-defense, inadvertently hitting Ramgopal. While it cannot justify taking a life, it was an unfortunate misjudgment. Sarfaraz acted to protect himself without the intent to kill.
Notably,
Ramgopal Mishra
, a resident of Rehua Mansoor village in Bahraich's Hardi police station area, participated in a Durga idol immersion procession around 6 PM last Sunday evening. As the procession passed through a particular community's area in Maharajganj market, a verbal altercation erupted between two groups. Stones were allegedly thrown from the rooftops, triggering a stampede during the immersion, and amidst this chaos, Ramgopal was shot from a rooftop, resulting in his death. That rooftop belonged to Abdul Hamid; Sarfaraz is his son, and Rukhsar, his daughter.
Read More- Five Arrested in Bahraich Violence, Two Injured in Encounter as They Attempted to Flee to Nepal
Speaking to 'Aaj Tak,' Rukhsar expressed sorrow over the family’s involvement in the incident (Ramgopal's murder). As per her knowledge, the crowd invaded their home from all sides. While the inside is shown, the outside scenario is not. With women present at home, outsiders tried to force their way inside during the chaos. Rukhsar claimed the crowd looted her father's jewelry shop, set it on fire, vandalized, and threw stones. The presence of police saved the lives of her father and brothers. The boy (Ramgopal) climbed the roof, and the crowd surged onto it, leading to the shop and vehicles being set alight and bottles being thrown. Rukhsar's family pleaded for protection, fearing the mob would kill them. This part remains unreported. Her brother initially fired into the air to disperse the crowd.
Source: aajtak
Rukhsar explained the boy (Ramgopal), who had climbed up, tried to enter their courtyard even though there were women in the house. Consequently, her brother fired in self-defense, resulting in his death. She questions how a family could plan such an act and survive post-murder.
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Was Using Firearms the Only Solution?
Answering this query, Rukhsar pointed out that the deceased was shot multiple times and electrocuted, which is entirely wrong. What would a person do to defend themselves when 500 to 1000 people attack their home? A neighboring boy, Saroj (Hindu), helped her family but was subsequently beaten, resulting in a head injury. Nonetheless, while taking a life cannot be justified, it was an unforeseen catastrophe. Her family acted in self-defense, but now her husband and brother-in-law have been detained by the police without any involvement, residing 40-50 kilometers away from the incident.
It's noteworthy that following the news of Ramgopal's death, chaos erupted in Maharajganj town. Enraged protesters vandalized and set vehicles, including the accused's house, on fire. The violence continued the next day, necessitating heavy police deployment. Chief Minister Yogi personally took note of the situation. Currently, conditions are stable, with over 50 individuals arrested so far.
