The phone call to journalist Raman Kashyap’s father that brought his world crashing down
When Ram Dulare Kashyap received a call in the early hours of October 4, little did he expect to hear the SHO asking him to come and claim his son Raman’s body from the district hospital at Lakhimpur Kheri.
Aradhana (centre), 32, wife of Raman Kashyap — reporter who died in the Lakhimpur Kheri Violence. All photos: Mohit Shukla
The Lakhimpur Kheri tragedy continues to play out, this time at Nighasan village, where Aradhana Kashyap sat on a cot, head covered and bent, while around her sat women from her neighbourhood in Shivpuri mohalla, offering words of comfort, but mostly silent.
As Aradhana, the 32-year-old widow, sobbed quietly, her 11-year-old daughter Vaishnavi snuggled up to her grandmother who sat close by, wondering what had happened.
The little girl did not yet know that her father, Raman Kashyap, was never coming home again.
The 35-year-old reporter, who worked with a local television channel, was killed on October 3 in Tikunia village of Lakhimpur Kheri where seven more people – four farmers, two BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) workers and a driver – were killed too. Whereas the deaths of the farmers and party workers have been reported widely, very little was known about the death of the eighth victim Raman Kashyap.
Raman leaves behind his wife Aradhana, an 11-year-old daughter Vaishnavi and about two-and-a-half-year-old son Abhinav. His two brothers are still very young, Ram Dulare Kashyap, Raman’s father said.
The phone call about Raman’s death
“My son left home on Sunday (October 3) morning at eleven to cover the arrival of the deputy chief minister near the helipad at Tikunia, after which we heard nothing from him,” Ram Dulare Kashyap, Raman’s father, told members of the media who had gathered at Raman’s home in the village, about 180 kms kilometres from the state capital Lucknow. “I heard about the clashes there the same evening, but nothing about my son,” he added.
And then the father’s worst fears came true. “Early on Monday morning (October 4), I received a call from the SHO (station house officer) from the Fardhan Police Station, who informed me that my son’s body was at the district hospital,” Ram Dulare said, tears streaming down his face. Raman was his oldest son who, according to Ram Dulare, was taking care of his family.
Also Read: Lakhimpur Kheri violence leaves 8 dead; how clashes took a political turn
“Had I known the situation at Tikunia would turn so violent, I would never have permitted him to go there,” he said, tears welling up in his eyes.
“I have about fifteen to twenty bighas (over three hectares) of land. Raman was helping me make ends meet. He taught at a private school and was also working for a television channel for the past year and a half,” said the grief-stricken father. He had just returned after cremating his elder son yesterday (October 4).
On October 3, Uttar Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya was visiting the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra’s village in Tikunia, Lakhimpur Kheri for a dangal (wrestling match), when local farmers and the supporters of the political leaders clashed leading to the killing of eight people.
Raman was there at the site of the clash and got killed. Yesterday, Gaon Connection spoke with Jaspreet Singh, a friend of Raman Kashyap, who narrated the series of events.
“On one side there were farmers, on the other side were at least seven to eight reporters. My friend Raman was also there reporting,” Jaspreet Singh told Gaon Connection. “When Thar [the vehicle allegedly carrying Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son] came and hit Raman. He was also shot in the hand during firing. He was hit by the car and thrown twenty to twenty five feet away. He was hit on the head on the ground and died on the spot,” Jaspreet Singh added.
Gaon Connection could not independently verify the series of the events. Meanwhile, the Union minister Mishra has denied all allegations of his son’s car mowing down people.
“During Lakhimpur Kheri visit, our workers came to receive us amid farmers’ protest. Some miscreants from agitating farmers started stone pelting on car and injured our driver. Due to this, our car got imbalanced and two people died coming under it. After this, our three workers were killed and cars were set on fire,” the minister was quoted as saying.
“My son wasn’t present at the spot. There were miscreants who attacked workers with sticks & swords. If my son would’ve been there, he wouldn’t have come out alive. We have video evidence,” the minister added.
Also Read: Farmers’ protest: The battlefield shifts to Lakhimpur Kheri
Journalists’ Association demands probe
Yesterday, on October 4, the Lucknow Journalists’ Association wrote to the Additional Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh regarding the death of Raman Kashyap. A copy of the letter has also been sent to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
In the letter, President of the journalists’ association Alok Kumar Tripathi has requested the chief minister to offer financial help of Rs 1 crore [Rs 10 million] along with a government job to the deceased reporter’s family. The association has also demanded that a judicial probe into the incident and the accused should be booked for murder.
“We have demanded one crore rupees for the family. But the government has decided to give forty five lakh rupees. We are not happy with this. We cannot undo whatever happened. We met Navneet Sehgal [additional chief secretary, information department, Uttar Pradesh] today. He assured us that a government job will be given to his family,” Tripathi told Gaon Connection.
An ex gratia of Rs 4.5 million
Following the deaths in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to give a government job and Rs 4.5 million to the families of every person who died.
Kashyap’s family has also been promised the ex gratia sum and government job for his wife, informed Jaspreet.
With inputs from Shivani Gupta.