Two suspects were being questioned by federal investigators on Wednesday, while state police were on high alert for unrest in the northwestern state. “We are under strict mandate to prevent any form of protest or demonstration planned to condemn the murder,” Hawa Singh Gumaria, a senior Rajasthan police officer, told Reuters, adding that the crime had caused “waves” . Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Naming a kupat, two bearded men said in the video that they were taking revenge on the Prophet Muhammad for insulting the victim. 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. India’s Interior Minister Amit Shah tweeted that federal police had launched an investigation into the “violent murder” of Kanhaya Lal Teli, giving the full name of the victim. “The involvement of any organization and international ties will be thoroughly investigated,” Shah said. Two perpetrators cut off Telly’s head and neck in an attack while the tailor was taking measurements, according to Bhawarlal Thoda, Udaipur city governor. According to Thoda, the tailor was taken into custody following a post on social media in support of the BJP spokeswoman who was found on his cell phone and that after his release, Teli told police on June 15 that he had been threatened by a group. “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 his father’s body was cremated on Wednesday. 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. Politicians and prominent Islamist preachers have condemned the killing. People carry the body of a Hindu to be cremated, a day after two Muslim men posted a video claiming responsibility for his murder in Udaipur in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, India, June 29, 2022. REUTERS / Stringer read more “The incident has shocked the followers of Islam, the heinous act committed by two men is completely anti-Islamic,” said Maulana Ahmed Siddiqui, a Muslim cleric based in Udaipur.
THREAT TO MODI
Authorities said they had suspended Internet services in several parts of Rajasthan to prevent the release of the video shared by the accused. “The climate is tense and almost all stores are closed today,” Thoda said. The city of about half a million inhabitants is one of the most important tourist attractions in the desert state and is known for its luxury hotels, including the famous Palace of Lake Taj. In another video posted on the internet, one of the perpetrators continued to threaten Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that their blade would find him too. India has a horrible history of religious violence and thousands of people have been killed since the country became independent from British colonial rule in 1947. Monti’s pursuit of a “Hindu first” agenda since taking office in 2014 has sparked tensions in a country where Muslims make up about 13% of its 1.4 billion population. Earlier this month, the BJP suspended Sharma from the party and ousted another official, but the anger has not subsided. Prime Minister Monti has not commented on the incident in Udaipur. But Rajasthan’s former prime minister, Vasundhara Raje, who belongs to the BJP, has blamed the ruling party, Congress, for the “community frenzy and violence” that has ensued. Rage said “such acts can happen because the state government provides tacit support to criminals.” While Congress has defended secular values in India since its independence, the BJP has declared it a pro-Muslim party in order to drive Hindus away from its main opposition. Rajasthan, with a population of about 69 million, is just one of two Indian states where Congress has a majority in the state legislature and elections are set to take place next year. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Rupam Jain. Editing: Simon Cameron-Moore Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
