Tensions have risen in the northwestern city of Udaipur following the arrest of two men accused of cutting the tailor’s neck at his shop on Tuesday. Spotting a cut, the two bearded men claimed responsibility for the murder in a clip that was shared on the internet. They said that they were taking revenge on an insult to the Prophet Muhammad, which the victim did. They also referred to Nupur Sharma, a former spokeswoman for the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata (BJP) party, whose statements about the Prophet earlier this month sparked domestic and international outrage. The Indian government then asked social media platforms to immediately remove content that encourages, glorifies or justifies the killing. In an effort to stop the video from being shared, authorities suspended internet services in the city and surrounding state of Rajasthan, and deployed additional police in Udaipur to ban large-scale rallies in a bid to prevent the escalation of religious unrest. After the assassination, several dozen right-wing people in New Delhi protested and demanded that the perpetrators be hanged. The two suspects were being questioned by federal investigators on Wednesday as police were on alert for any unrest in the state. “We are under strict orders to prevent any form of protest or demonstration planned to condemn the murder,” said Hawa Singh Ghumaria, a senior Rajasthan police officer. He added that the crime had caused “shock waves in the country”. Image: Activists of Bajrang Dal, a Hindu hardline group, protest after the murder The tailor has been identified as 48-year-old Kanhaiya Lal, who allegedly shared a post on social media in support of one of the representatives who was suspended due to the statements of the Prophet Muhammad, according to local media. The two suspects were arrested a few hours after the attack and have been identified as Udaipur residents Gos Mohammad and Riaz Akhtari. The footage of the attack itself shows one of the perpetrators being counted by the tailor, while the other is being filmed. The man being measured starts stabbing Mr. Lal with a knife, with the tailor desperately trying to chase him away with his hands. Bhawarlal Thoda, Udaipur city governor, said the tailor was arrested for posting on social media in support of a BJP spokeswoman who was found on his mobile phone. After he was released, he told police on June 15 that he had been threatened. The suspects released a second video of themselves after the assassination, accusing Lal of blasphemy and threatening to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the same way. Bloody knives were taped away as they smiled as they sat on a couch. Image: Activists of Bajrang Dal, a Hindu hardline group, react after being arrested by police Meanwhile, a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman dismissed reports in some Indian media outlets linking the suspects to a Pakistan-based organization. “The terrorists executed my father in the most shocking way, the country must stand by our family to demand justice,” the victim’s son, Yas, told Reuters after the cremation of his father’s body. He said the culprits should be tried and sentenced to death and denied that his father made comments that would be offensive to other religions. Image: People carry Kanhaiya Lal’s body for cremation Politicians and prominent Islamist clerics have condemned the killing, with Maulana Ahmed Siddiqui, a Muslim cleric based in Udaipur, saying: “The incident has shocked the followers of Islam. The heinous act committed by two men is completely anti-Islamic.” The incident follows a wave of attacks by Hindu nationalists on minority groups – especially Muslims – who have been targeted for everything from their style of food and clothing to interfaith weddings. Bulldozers have also been used to demolish Muslim homes in some Indian states, which critics describe as a growing “bulldozer of justice” motif against the minority group.
