More chilling revelations have surfaced regarding the horrific torture inflicted on 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra before his brutal killing by Islamist extremists. According to a report from Jagran, the young man's body was riddled with injury marks, his fingernails ripped from their beds — a grotesque sign of the torment he endured. The nightmare did not end with ripped nails, however. His body was riddled with bullet pellets and blows that tore through his flesh from chest to neck, all before the final shot sealed his fate.

The post-mortem report, a grim confirmation of his family’s worst fears, revealed the full extent of his suffering. Yet, despite this horrifying evidence, the authorities remain tight-lipped, refusing to release the report under what they call orders from "higher-ups." Transparency, it seems, has taken a backseat in the face of unspeakable injustice.

Ram Gopal’s mother, in her heart-wrenching grief, couldn’t help but notice her son’s torn toenails when she saw his battered corpse. It was a sight no mother should ever have to witness. “His fingernails were ripped off,” she sobbed, her words piercing the silence that now cloaks her once happy home.

An official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the findings of the autopsy matched the claims made by the family. “The young man had to endure severe torture before the Islamists finally ended his life,” he revealed, offering a cold, clinical validation of the violence Ram Gopal endured.

As if losing one child wasn’t heartbreaking enough, Ram Gopal’s father, Putai Mishra, must now bury his second son. “Who is more unfortunate than me, having to bear his second child’s lifeless body?” he cried, his voice heavy with despair. His eldest son, Harimilan Mishra, shared that their other brother had passed away some years ago, leaving Ram Gopal as the youngest of three — now all but a memory.

In a tragic turn of events, Ram Gopal Mishra, who had been married just two months earlier, was killed on the 13th of October during a Durga idol visarjan procession in Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh. The brutality of his death left his family and the entire community in shock. The attack was orchestrated by a group of Muslim radicals, with Abdul Hameed and his sons Sarfaraz and Faheem, along with Sahir Khan, being named as key accused in this heinous crime.

The peaceful visarjan procession took a violent turn when a mob began pelting stones from Abdul Hameed’s residence. This unprovoked attack forced those in the procession to retaliate. In the midst of this chaos, Ram Gopal allegedly climbed to the roof of Abdul Hameed’s house, where he removed two green flags and tied a wire to hoist a saffron flag in their place. His actions, however, were met with swift and deadly consequences. The perpetrators dragged him inside the house and brutally murdered him.

Eyewitnesses at the scene recounted how the police, who were present during the procession, stood by as mute spectators. “The cops present at the location acted like mute spectators and lathi-charged the devotees,” said one eyewitness. Their inaction left the devotees defenseless, while the Muslim rioters continued their assault. By the time the people in the procession managed to reach Ram Gopal, it was too late. “He was already dead by then,” the witnesses said, highlighting the tragedy of the moment.

The violence that erupted during the procession was reportedly instigated by a group of Muslim youths who stood in the street under the guise of playing with gulaal, the colored powder traditionally used during Hindu festivals like Holi. What started as a festive gathering quickly escalated into a deadly confrontation, and the inaction of the police emboldened the attackers. The Muslim mob, feeling untouchable, escalated their assault with stone pelting, leading to the tragic death of a young man who had barely begun his married life.

The investigation has revealed that Abdul Hameed, the mastermind behind the attack, has a son residing in Nepal. His son attends a madrasa near Fultekra in the Banke area, a location notorious for its anti-India and anti-Hindu activities. There is growing concern that Abdul Hameed’s family may have fled across the Indian border into Nepal after the murder of Ram Gopal, seeking refuge to escape justice. “Some people have expressed concern that Abdul Hameed’s family might have fled to Nepal,” noted a source, adding to the already tense atmosphere surrounding the case.

The horror of Ram Gopal Mishra’s murder did not end with his death. A new video circulating on social media has revealed the appalling truth — extremists continued to hurl stones and fire shots at his lifeless body. According to his brother Harimilan, Muslims had dragged Ram Gopal into their house where he was brutally killed. When a few brave Hindu youngsters, part of the visarjan procession, managed to reach the house, they found his body. But even their efforts to retrieve it were met with violence, as stones and gunshots rained down on them. “Stones and gunshots were aimed at those carrying the body,” Harimilan recounted, describing the terrifying scene. Even the already lifeless corpse of Ram Gopal was struck by stones in a shocking display of cruelty.

The retrieval of Ram Gopal’s body became a dangerous ordeal. “The only way to remove his brother’s body was through the roof of another house,” Harimilan explained, highlighting the desperate measures that had to be taken to recover his slain brother. The intensity of the violence, both before and after his death, painted a horrifying picture of the hostility that the attackers exhibited.

Harimilan believes that the assault on Hindus could have been avoided if the group had remained united. The devastating sequence of events, he said, unfolded when the police decided to lathi-charge the procession. “The incident transpired just as police did a lathi-charge which led to a stampede and shots were fired which took his brother’s life,” he charged, expressing his deep frustration at the role of the authorities. Not only did the police fail to protect Ram Gopal, but they also, according to Harimilan, stood by and did nothing to assist in retrieving the body after the murder.

The pain of losing Ram Gopal was further compounded by the challenges the family faced even after his death. His cremation took place recently, but not without an additional confrontation. “My family also had an altercation with the administration before the cremation,” Harimilan revealed, stating that they only proceeded with the ceremony after Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Sureshwar Singh stepped in and assured them.

Yogi Adityanath meets riot victim's family, situation tense

On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met with the family members of Ram Gopal Mishra, the 22-year-old man brutally killed during violence in Bahraich district on October 13. The grief-stricken family traveled to Lucknow to meet the chief minister, accompanied by BJP MLA Sureshwar Singh, seeking justice for their beloved son and brother.

During the meeting, Ram Gopal's family made a strong plea for swift and strict action against the perpetrators. “I have seen the condition of my brother, I brought him back after the violence. No one was there, even from the district administration, to take care of my brother. There was negligence on the part of the local administration. We only want his (accused) encounter,” said Harimilan Mishra, Ram Gopal’s brother, as he spoke to the media after their emotional meeting with Yogi Adityanath.

In response, the Chief Minister took to social media to assure the public that the state government would take decisive action to bring the culprits to justice. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Yogi Adityanath reiterated his commitment to ensuring justice for the victim’s family. “Today in Lucknow, I met the grief-stricken family members of the youth who died in the unfortunate incident in Bahraich district. In this hour of grief, the Uttar Pradesh government stands with the victim's family with full sensitivity and commitment. Rest assured, providing justice to the victim's family is the top priority of the UP government. The culprits of this extremely reprehensible and unforgivable incident will not be spared at any cost,” Yogi Adityanath wrote.

The meeting offered a small glimmer of hope for the Mishra family as they continue to cope with the devastating loss of Ram Gopal, but tensions in Bahraich district remained high following the violence during the Durga idol immersion procession on October 13. The aftermath of the violence has continued to affect the district.

Fresh outbreaks of violence were reported late on Monday, October 14, in Nakawa village. Unidentified men allegedly torched a few shops and homes, escalating the already tense situation. “The accused also tried to torch a religious structure,” local sources reported. Fortunately, the situation was brought under control when the police arrived on the scene, preventing further escalation.

A local official confirmed that more than 50 police personnel were stationed in the area to ensure law and order. The heavy police presence helped stabilize the situation, but the district remains on edge, with the community anxiously awaiting further action and justice for Ram Gopal Mishra’s death.

The final farewell for 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra took place on Monday, October 14, under heavy security as emotions ran high in the village. Mishra, a resident of the area, had been part of the peaceful procession for the immersion of the Goddess Durga idol when tragedy struck. A bullet hit him, and despite efforts to save his life, he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

As Mishra’s body was taken to its final resting place, the air was thick with grief and anger. “Scores of people, some armed with sticks, walked in the funeral cortège of the man amid cries for justice from the family and others on Monday,” as tensions in the district continued to escalate. The atmosphere was charged, with angry crowds taking to the streets as shops were burned down in the aftermath of the violence.

The violence following Mishra’s death left many injured, with “about half a dozen people injured in stone pelting and firing following the death of Mishra.” In an effort to control the rising tensions, authorities suspended internet services across the district to prevent the spread of inflammatory messages and maintain calm.

High-ranking police officials, including Uttar Pradesh’s ADG Law and Order Amitabh Yash, rushed to the scene to bring the volatile situation under control. The law enforcement efforts did not stop there. “Senior police officials were also camping in the district to maintain the law and order situation,” as the unrest threatened to spiral further.

To reinforce the presence of law enforcement, four Special Task Force (STF) teams, along with 12 companies of PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary), were deployed in Bahraich. Police officials from neighboring districts also joined in, ensuring that the security forces were well-equipped to handle any further outbreaks of violence. “These teams are stationed on the front lines, equipped with bulletproof vehicles,” the sources noted.

Meanwhile, investigations into Ram Gopal Mishra’s murder are underway. “Three people have been arrested in connection with the killing of Mishra,” according to sources, with a case registered against six identified individuals and 24 unidentified persons under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections related to murder and other grave offenses.

Authorities have detained around 30 people in connection with the violence that erupted following the killing. The police are also actively conducting raids in an effort to capture Salman, one of the key named accused in the case.

As part of their ongoing investigation, police seized a range of materials, including “bricks, stones, and sticks on the roof of the accused,” indicating the premeditated nature of the violence. These items point to the intensity of the confrontation, with these weapons being used to incite chaos and harm during what was supposed to be a peaceful procession.

The incident has drawn responses from political figures across the spectrum. Samajwadi Party chief and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, commented on the situation, referring to it as an “unfortunate incident.” While urging everyone involved to contribute to maintaining peace, Yadav also criticized the state government for its failure to prevent the violence.

“I appeal that all those involved in the incident should take steps towards maintaining law and order. It is an unfortunate incident. The government should have made proper arrangements before the procession. They should have seen that there was proper security and along with that, they should have supervised what was being played on music systems,” Yadav said while addressing the media.