A local court on Thursday sentenced Sarfaraz alias Rinku to death for the murder of 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra, who was killed during communal violence at a Durga Puja visarjan/immersion procession in October 2024. Nine others, including Sarfaraz’s father Abdul Hameed and his brothers Faheem and Talib alias Sabloo, received life imprisonment. The court acquitted three others for lack of evidence.
The judicial ruling, delivered Thursday by Additional Sessions Judge Pawan Kumar, brought legal closure to a violent incident that occurred on 13 October 2024, in Rehua Mansoor village. The clash erupted during a Durga Puja visarjan/immersion procession when local Muslims objected to the music being played. During the ensuing violence, Ram Gopal Mishra was shot dead.
Police investigations led to 13 First Information Reports (FIRs) and the application of the National Security Act against several accused.
How Mohammed Zubair Justified The Murder
Soon after the murder last year, Alt News co-founder and fake news peddler Mohammed Zubair posted a video on X showing Mishra removing a green flag from a rooftop and replacing it with a saffron one. Zubair captioned the clip saying Mishra was seen “forcefully removing a Green flag… Gopal was shot dead later.”
Critics allege that by sharing the video and highlighting Mishra’s act of flag removal, Zubair was providing context that could be seen as rationalizing or justifying the subsequent murder. They argue the post shifted focus from the fatal shooting to an alleged provocation by the victim.
The critics further contend that such framing is part of a pattern of downplaying violence against Hindus in certain media narratives, especially during religious festivals. They state that the act of sharing this specific video so soon after the murder amounted to an endorsement of a dangerous justification for the crime.
Zubair Targeted OpIndia For Reporting
Zubair not only justified the killing but also targeted news portal OpIndia for their reports on how the mosques were making announcements.
The report contained eyewitness accounts but Zubair seemed to claim the eyewitness was lying.
Source: OpIndia
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