Satyapraash Dubey, his wife, and three children were massacred on Monday, October 2 in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district allegedly owing to a land dispute. According to reports, the Dubey family was murdered on suspicion of their involvement in Prem Yadav’s death.

Special DG Prashant Kumar (Law & Order) has termed the incident a matter of personal dispute. CM Yogi Adityanath condemned and expressed grief over the shocking incident. Furthermore, he instructed ADG, IG, and the Commissioner to reach the spot to prevent any escalation in the law and order situation in the area. He also assured that the culprits will be brought to justice.

Satyaprakash Dubey and 4 others massacred

Prem Yadav visited Satyaprakash Dubey’s house on the morning of 2 October. An argument ensued between the two. The skull of Prem Yadav, one of the deceased, was found to be smashed, besides 10 grievous injuries on his body, which seem to have been caused by a heavy object. Members of the Yadav community attacked Dubey’s house as they suspected that Satyprakash and his family had killed Yadav.

Prem Yadav had been a member of the Zilla Panchayat and Satyaprakash Dubey had accused him of encroaching on his land. On Monday, Yadav’s beheaded body was discovered which caused an uproar. Suspecting Dubey, Yadavs attacked his house armed with guns, sticks, and other sharp objects.

Whoever came in front of the mob at Satyaprakash Dubey’s house was brutally murdered. The mob slit the throat of some while some others were shot. Locals say that the police were aware of the long-running land dispute between the two. The deceased include Satyaprakash Dubey, his wife Kiran Dubey, their daughters Saloni and Nandini, and their son Gandhi besides Prem Yadav. While Satyaprakash Dubey’s father’s name is Janardan Dubey, Prem Yadav’s father’s name is Rambhavan Yadav.

A highly traumatised eight-year-old boy is the only survivor of the massacre that took place. The Class 3 student is in critical condition and is undergoing treatment at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur. Doctors say the boy has sustained multiple injuries, but his vital organs are safe. He is yet to recover from the trauma. “He is the only survivor of the ghastly act”, said Vikesh Babu, a resident who is taking care of the boy in the hospital.

A police officer said that the boy was in a semi-conscious state when he was brought to the hospital. He kept repeating “papa” when doctors were administering injections to him. According to the boy’s account, the family had woken up and were preparing for breakfast when they suddenly heard cries for help from Satya Prakash, the boy’s father. “His eldest sister Saloni (18) rushed to help him, but then she too shouted for help. Thereafter, his mother Kiran rushed to help”, the police officer said.

Later, son Gandhi (15) and daughter Nandini (10) who were playing outside in the backyard, also rushed to the scene and were attacked as well. While Kiran tried to save her children, she was hit from behind with a hard object and fell. The mob fled when the locals began gathering after hearing the cries for help.

A relative of the victims said the boy was consoled by being told that his parents and siblings were alive and in another hospital. Meanwhile, the post-mortem conducted on the bodies of the six deceased revealed the gruesome nature of the crime. Police sources said that Satya Prakash Dubey suffered a gunshot injury on his chest at point-blank range. “It led to blackening and formation of a tattoo on the right side of his chest, leading to the death”, said an officer.

The other deceased, Kiran, Gandhi and Nandini, sustained multiple injuries while Saloni’s neck was slashed with a sharp-edged weapon, the officer said. A forensic officer, who visited the crime scene at Dubey’s residence, said that marks of forced entry were visible on the main door. “The house was splattered with blood stains”, he said. Police have registered an FIR on the complaint of Nisha Dubey, Satya Prakash’s eldest daughter. He added that a complaint from the family of Prem Yadav was yet to be received.

One of Dubey’s sons informed the media that he escaped the massacre as he was visiting the temple since it was his brother’s birthday. He demanded justice for his family and asked that the accused be punished with death sentence.

The media’s ‘privileged’ class bias

Earlier, a tragic incident of a Brahmin Pujari being burnt alive leaving his three sons orphaned was reported from Mathura. The body of Nand Kishore Sharma, who was responsible for conducting religious rituals and ceremonies at Radha Krishna Temple, was discovered on June 7 in Deenu Hazi ka Kothra, Dautana, with 90 burn injuries. He was immediately rushed to Delhi Safdarjung Hospital, where he tragically succumbed to his injuries. With their father’s untimely demise, Nand Kishore Sharma’s three sons now face a daunting future without parental guidance. However, the Brahmin community has rallied around them, offering support and assistance during this challenging time.

In another heart-wrenching incident that occurred in Kanpur Dehat, a mother-daughter duo were burnt alive in their hut during an anti-encroachment drive. Anti-encroachment officers who were present at the spot stood as mute spectators and made no effort to rescue them. The victims were identified as Neha and her mother Pramila Dikshit. Neha and Pramila were burnt alive in front of the police and government authorities while Pramila’s husband Krishna Gopal received severe burn injuries.

Last known, not much headway has been made in both cases but this, along with the massacre of the Dubey family, draws our attention towards indifference of the media, judiciary, and authorities towards those they term ‘privileged’ class. It is only the general category Hindus who get the short end of the stick.

As is evident from the above cases, many categorized as ‘privileged’ by the media are actually poor and vulnerable to the Indian State’s failings in dispensing justice. However, the media uses elitist deracinated HINOs in positions of power, who neither believe in Dharma nor have empathy for persecuted Hindus and are often hostile towards Hindus, to make claims of them being privileged.

Justice is the basic right of any citizen irrespective of caste and religion but the judiciary that opens its doors at midnight for a convicted terrorist is found lacking when it comes to Hindus in general and those belonging to the general category in particular. As for the media, the brutal murder of a Dubey or a Sharma or a Dikshit or anyone they classify as ‘privileged’ is not eyeball-grabbing or TRP-fetching and hence, reduced to a mere footnote.

(With IANS inputs)