How the mafia split a sacred river into two to conduct illegal trade | Lucknow News

How the Mafia Split a Sacred River in Two to Drive Illegal Trade

LUCKNOW: The bulldozer growls on the bank of Ganga in UP’s Unnaobaring his teeth. There are trucks and tractors waiting to be loaded with sand, and more is almost certainly on the way.
So it is here, where the sand extraction mafia built a road that cuts through the Ganga at Sumerpur Ghat. This unauthorized road has the sacred river into two streams, creating a path along which they could transport their illegal cargo at night.
On another road in Unnao, the shadows of a dark tragedy hang over the Tripathi family.
Shubham Mani Tripathi, a young one journalist in his mid-twenties, was shot in cold blood on June 19, 2020. His crime? Publishing a series of research articles exposing the illegal activities of Kanhaiya Awasthi and his wife Divya Awasthi – known as the “bhu mafia”.
“My brother was murdered for speaking the truth,” said Shubham’s elder brother Rishabh Mani. “In a city where silence once protected the corrupt, Shubham’s voice—although silenced—was an example of courage and defiance. The least we can do is ensure that his killers pay for their crimes.” Just three months before his murder, Shubham got married on February 26, 2020, in what was supposed to be the beginning of a new chapter in his life. Shubham’s father died in March 2020, devastated by the threats his son received from the Awasthis.
The family’s home is now under 24-hour security, with an armed police officer permanently stationed there – a stark reminder of the threats that still hang over their heads. But the government offered no financial help or job offers.
At 30, Rishabh runs a small cafe and an online service center. “After my brother’s death, I was responsible for everything for the family. My priority was to seek justice for Shubham and ensure that the killers were held accountable. I couldn’t afford to spend time pursuing financial help from government offices.”
The road to justice has been long and arduous. Of the 16 accused in connection with Shubham’s murder, only five are currently behind bars. The assets and properties of the jailed Awasthi couple, worth Rs 15 crore, have been attached. The Supreme Court’s recent rejection of Kanhaiya’s bail plea has brought some solace to the Tripathi family, but the pain of their loss remains omnipresent.