Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, called the murder of the 22-year-old man in the Bahraich communal riots on Tuesday “unfortunate” and said that those responsible for this inexcusable crime will not escape punishment. In Lucknow, Adityanath visited with Ram Gopal Mishra’s family. The family was escorted by Mahsi Sureshwar Singh, a BJP MLA, during the tour.

“Today in Lucknow, I met with the grief-stricken family members of the youth who died in the unfortunate incident in Bahraich district,” the chief minister said in a Hindi post on X. The Uttar Pradesh government is sincerely and sensitively standing by the victim’s family at this difficult time. “You can be certain that @UPGovt puts the victim’s family’s needs first. At all costs, the perpetrators of this egregious and inexcusable event will not escape punishment, he said.

During a Durga idol immersion parade in Bahraich on Sunday, communal violence broke out in the Maharajganj section of the village, close to Rehua Mansoor in Mahsi Tehsil. Mishra was shot dead, and around six people were wounded due to stone-pelting and gunfire.

On Monday, his last ceremonies were held under strict security. A video of the chief minister’s meeting with Ram Gopal Mishra’s mother Munni Devi, father Kailash Nath Mishra, wife Roli Mishra, and cousin Kishan Mishra was released by the Uttar Pradesh government.

While the chief minister was addressing them in the video, Kailash Nath Mishra could be heard urging his wife to regulate her emotions. In addition, the pair could be seen wiping their tears as their daughter-in-law sat quietly.

A few pictures from the meeting were also released by the authorities. “They (the Mishra family) have already demanded justice from the chief minister,” said MLA Singh earlier in the day. Other than this, I’m not sure what they’ll ask for. However, they will undoubtedly get more than they bargained for. Before departing for Lucknow, Roli Mishra made the following statement to the media in Bahraich: “They should be punished the same way they killed my husband.”