LUCKNOW: The bulldozer grunts on the shore of Ganga in UP’s Unnao, baring its teeth. There are trucks and tractors waiting to be loaded with sand, and more almost certainly on the way.
This is how it is here, where the sand mining mafia built a road that cuts through Ganga at Sumerpur Ghat. This unauthorised road has split the sacred river into two streams, creating a pathway for transporting their illicit cargo under cover of night.
On another road of Unnao, shadows of a dark tragedy loom large over the Tripathi household.
Shubham Mani Tripathi, a young journalist in his mid-20s, was gunned down in cold blood on June 19, 2020. His crime? Publishing a series of investigative articles exposing illegal activities of Kanhaiya Awasthi and his wife Divya Awasthi – known as “bhu mafia”.
“My brother was killed for speaking the truth,” Shubham’s elder brother Rishabh Mani said. “In a town where silence once protected the corrupt, Shubham’s voice – though silenced – was an example of courage and resistance. The least we can do is to ensure that his killers pay for their crimes.” Just three months before his murder, Shubham had married on Feb 26, 2020, marking what should have been the beginning of a new chapter in his life. Shubham’s father died in March 2020, deeply affected by the threats his son received from the Awasthis.
The family’s home is now under round-the-clock security, with an armed policeman permanently stationed there – a grim reminder of the threats that still hang over them. But the administration provided no financial assistance or job offers.
At 30, Rishabh runs a small cafe and online service centre. “After my brother’s death, I was responsible for managing everything for the family. My priority was seeking justice for Shubham and ensuring the killers were held accountable. I couldn’t afford to spend time pursuing financial aid from govt offices.”
The road to justice has been long and arduous. Of the 16 charged in connection with Shubham’s murder, only five are currently behind bars. The incarcerated Awasthi couple’s assets and properties, worth Rs 15 crore, have been seized. The Supreme Court‘s recent rejection of Kanhaiya’s bail application has brought some solace to the Tripathi family, but the pain of their loss remains ever-present.
This is how it is here, where the sand mining mafia built a road that cuts through Ganga at Sumerpur Ghat. This unauthorised road has split the sacred river into two streams, creating a pathway for transporting their illicit cargo under cover of night.
On another road of Unnao, shadows of a dark tragedy loom large over the Tripathi household.
Shubham Mani Tripathi, a young journalist in his mid-20s, was gunned down in cold blood on June 19, 2020. His crime? Publishing a series of investigative articles exposing illegal activities of Kanhaiya Awasthi and his wife Divya Awasthi – known as “bhu mafia”.
“My brother was killed for speaking the truth,” Shubham’s elder brother Rishabh Mani said. “In a town where silence once protected the corrupt, Shubham’s voice – though silenced – was an example of courage and resistance. The least we can do is to ensure that his killers pay for their crimes.” Just three months before his murder, Shubham had married on Feb 26, 2020, marking what should have been the beginning of a new chapter in his life. Shubham’s father died in March 2020, deeply affected by the threats his son received from the Awasthis.
The family’s home is now under round-the-clock security, with an armed policeman permanently stationed there – a grim reminder of the threats that still hang over them. But the administration provided no financial assistance or job offers.
At 30, Rishabh runs a small cafe and online service centre. “After my brother’s death, I was responsible for managing everything for the family. My priority was seeking justice for Shubham and ensuring the killers were held accountable. I couldn’t afford to spend time pursuing financial aid from govt offices.”
The road to justice has been long and arduous. Of the 16 charged in connection with Shubham’s murder, only five are currently behind bars. The incarcerated Awasthi couple’s assets and properties, worth Rs 15 crore, have been seized. The Supreme Court‘s recent rejection of Kanhaiya’s bail application has brought some solace to the Tripathi family, but the pain of their loss remains ever-present.
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