Bahraich court awards death penalty to prime accused, life terms to nine others in Ram Gopal Mishra murder case
LUCKNOW: A Bahraich court on Thursday awarded life imprisonment to nine convicts and handed the death penalty to the prime accused, Sarfaraz alias Rinku, in the sensational Ram Gopal Mishra murder case that took place during communal violence over the immersion of Durga idols last year. The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge (First) Pawan Kumar Sharma. Those convicted include Abdul Hameed, Faheem, Saif Ali, Javed Khan, Zeeshan alias Raja alias Sahir, Nankau, Maruf Ali, Shoaib Khan, Talib alias Sablu, and Sarfaraz alias Rinku. Except for Sarfaraz, all received life terms under BNS sections 103(2) (murder), 191(2) (rioting), 191(3) (rioting with armed weapons), the Arms Act, and other charges. The court also acquitted Afzal, Shakeel, and Khurshid for lack of evidence. On October 13, 2024, communal tensions had escalated in Bahraich after Mishra, a devotee participating in a Durga idol immersion procession, was shot dead. Police said he had allegedly climbed the terrace of a house belonging to members of the minority community and attempted to replace a flag with a saffron one. In its order, the court observed that the crime triggered widespread panic, disrupted essential services, and created a curfew-like situation. It noted that Mishras wife, married only in June 2024, lost her husband within four months of her marriage, describing the incident as a lifelong tragedy for the family. The court listed several aggravating factors: the killing was extremely cruel, sadistic, and shocking to societys conscience. It said the act was committed as a show of dominance, targeting an unarmed man. Sarfaraz, who fired the gun, was termed a continuing threat to society, having later attacked police as well. The murder was described as cold-blooded, premeditated, and part of an unlawful assembly that caused widespread unrest. An FIR was registered on October 13, 2024, naming six accused initially, with seven more added later under charges of murder and rioting. The chargesheet against all 13 followed on January 1, 2025. A day after the killing, violence erupted during Mishras last rites, with mobs torching vehicles and an automobile showroom and vandalising a hospital. Internet services were suspended in the district. The situation was brought under control after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath dispatched ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash and then Home Secretary Sanjeev Gupta to the district. Two police officials SK Verma, in-charge of Hardi police station, and sub-inspector Shiv Kumar of the Maharajganj outpost were suspended for dereliction of duty. Sources said then ASP Pavitra Mohan Tripathi was suspended for failing to control the situation despite having PAC support. Later, Mahsi Circle Officer Rupendra Gaur was also suspended following reports of intelligence failure. The court noted that Mishras killing was not a routine murder but marked by extreme brutality. The prosecution described it as a textbook example of heinousness, stating eight rounds were fired at Mishra, with postmortem findings showing 40 entry wounds, two exit wounds, burnt toes, forcibly removed nails, blunt-force injuries, and an upper body resembling a sieve. The government counsel said the crime involved clear mens rea and actus reus, executed with the intention to kill. Calling it cold-blooded and sadistic, the prosecution argued the convicts sought to assert religious dominance by targeting a man participating in a Durga immersion procession. The prosecution also detailed the wider impact, saying Bahraich remained disturbed for over a month, with shut markets and schools. Internet services were suspended for three days, and RAF, PAC, and police units from nearby districts had to be deployed.
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