Hindu man shot dead by Islamists in Bahraich, blamed for his own death by Muslim 'journalists' to exonerate perpetrators

Case ID : 19e219e | Location : Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 13 October, 2024

Case ID : 19e219e

Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India

13 October, 2024

Hindu man shot dead by Islamists in Bahraich, blamed for his own death by Muslim 'journalists' to exonerate perpetrators

Hate speech against Hindus

Anti Hindu subversion and prejudice

Anti-Hindu Fake News or Downplaying

Case Summary

On October 13th, a clash occurred between two communities in Rehua Mansoor village, Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, during the immersion of a Devi Durga idol. The conflict began when Muslims objected to the DJ music played by the procession. As tensions escalated, 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra, a Hindu man, was shot and killed by Islamists. Several others were injured by stone-pelting during the chaos. The argument between the two communities started when the immersion procession passed a mosque in Maharajganj. Amid the ensuing chaos, Mishra was shot and later succumbed to his injuries. Shortly after the incident, a video surfaced showing Gopal Mishra removing a green flag and replacing it with a saffron flag. Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of Alt News, shared the video on social media, suggesting the act provoked the attack on Mishra. Other journalists like Wasim Akram Tyagi and Shyam Meera Singh blamed Mishra for his own death, claiming he disrespected others by removing the flag. Eyewitnesses, however, provided a different account, stating that Mishra was dragged into the house of Abdul Hamid, where he was shot. They also confirmed that stones were pelted from Abdul's house, triggering the violence. These critical details were omitted by certain journalists, who focused on portraying Mishra as the instigator, minimizing the role of Islamists in his death.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the database under the prime category of- Hate speech against Hindus. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Anti-Hindu subversion or prejudice and the tertiary category selected is- Fake News or Downplaying. Hate speech is defined as any speech, gesture, conduct, writing, or display that is prejudicial against a specific individual and/or group of people, which is leading to or may lead to violence, prejudicial action or hate against that individual and/or group. Media plays a specific and overarching reach in perpetuating prejudicial attitudes towards a community owing to unfair, untrue coverage and/or misrepresentation/misinterpretation, selective coverage and/or omission of facts of/pertaining to issues affecting a specific religious group. This type of bias can dehumanise the victim group, making it easier for others to justify harmful actions against them, which aligns with the objectives of hate speech laws aimed at preventing such harm. It is often observed that the media takes a prejudicial stand against the Hindu community driven by their need to shield the aggressor community which happens to be a numeric minority, however, is the one perpetrating violence against Hindus. For example, the media is often quick to contextualise religiously motivated crimes against Hindus, omit or misrepresent facts that point towards religiously motivated hate crimes, justify and/or downplay religiously motivated hate crimes or simply present fake news to stereotype Hindus. Such media bias leads to the denial of persecution and is often used to dehumanise Hindus, leading to justification for violence against them. For example, the media covered several fake allegations of Hindus targeting Muslims and forcing them to chant Jai Shree Ram. Most of these cases were proved false and fabricated after police investigation. These fake news reports were subsequently never retracted or clarified. Such fake news led to the justification of violence and dehumanisation of Hindus based on the argument that since Hindus targeted Muslims and forced them to chant Jai Shree Ram, the dehumanisation of Hindus and violence against them was par for the course and merely a retaliation. Such media bias leads to prejudicial portrayal of Hindus and offers a justification for violence against them and therefore, is considered hate speech under this category. A Muslim mob brutally killed Ram Gopal Mishra in the presence of police on 13th October in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh during a visarjan procession of Goddess Durga’s idol. The accused dragged his body inside Abdul Hamid’s home after he was killed there. According to a viral video, his corpse was also attacked with stones and bullets as some people tried to bring down him from the roof. The incident has drawn widespread condemnation and raised serious concerns about the safety of Hindus in the area, further exacerbating communal divides. In the aftermath of the heinous murder, the reaction from some Muslim 'journalists' such as Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, showcases the bias and hate they harbour for Hindus and Hinduism. As evidenced in this case, these so-called journalists were seen defending the violence and the perpetrators and portraying the deceased Hindu boy as the instigator. Their comments reflect a broader trend of downplaying violence against Hindus. By framing the murder as an inevitable consequence of alleged disrespect toward Islam, these Islamists effectively shifted responsibility away from the attackers, who in this case were their co-religionists, and instead placed blame on the victim’s perceived actions. This stance implicitly condones the violent outcome, minimizing the severity of the crime and framing it as an understandable reaction, rather than condemning it as a criminal act. The prejudice displayed in the murder of Ram Gopal Mishra and the subsequent comments from these individuals reflects a deep-seated animosity against Hindus and Hinduism. This hatred is often fueled by a narrative that portrays Hindus as oppressors, leading to a justification of violence against them as a form of retribution. Since this systematic dismissal is indicative of an underlying bias that perpetuates discrimination against Hindus and exemplifies how the motivations behind the denial or downplaying of religiously motivated persecution are rooted in a profound animosity toward Hindus and their faith, this case has been added to the tracker.