Udaipur shocker: Man beheaded allegedly for supporting Nupur Sharma
What's the story
In a gruesome incident, a man was beheaded on Tuesday in the Maldas Street area of Rajasthan's Udaipur, days after he allegedly supported former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma's remarks in a social media post. Two men, who apparently claimed to have murdered the victim, shared a video message after the incident and even issued a threat to PM Narendra Modi, as per reports.
Details
Thorough investigation will be conducted into heinous murder: Udaipur SP
Calling it a "heinous murder," the Udaipur Superintendent of Police (SP) said that "a thorough investigation will be conducted into the incident." "Few accused have been identified. Police teams [have been] constituted to locate the accused. We will take action on the video of men claiming to have committed the act," the SP was quoted as saying by ANI.
Viral video
Accused also recorded video of brutal act
Earlier on Tuesday, a purported video of the brutal act—recorded by the murderers—also surfaced on social media. It showed two men arriving at the shop of the victim, a tailor. While one of them gives his measurements to the victim—identified as Kanhaiya Lal—the other records everything on his phone. Seconds later, the tailor gets ambushed and the duo attacks him with butcher knife-like weapons.
Information
Both accused arrested, says Rajasthan DGP
Later on Tuesday evening, Rajasthan Director General of Police, Mohan Lal Lather, told ANI that both the accused—who identified themselves as Riyaz Akhtari and Ghaus Mohammad in their video message—have been detained. The duo was arrested from the state's Rajsamand district.
Threat to Modi
'Hope this knife reaches your neck': Threat issued to Modi
Holding butcher knives, the two men later also shared a video message in which they boasted about beheading the tailor and issued a threat to PM Modi's life too. Claiming that they will "put out the fire" that Modi allegedly started, one of the men goes on to say, "I hope this knife reaches your neck as well," referring to the prime minister.
Internet suspended
Incident triggers protests, internet services suspended temporarily
The murder has triggered protests in the Maldas Street area of Udaipur where all shops and businesses have been shut down following the incident. Meanwhile, authorities have also temporarily suspended internet services in the Udaipur district for the next 24 hours as a precautionary measure to avoid the spread of disinformation and rumors, said reports.
Twitter Post
Warning: Video may be disturbing, traumatizing for some viewers
Jihadis behead a shopkeeper in #Udaipur and and shamelessly making a murder video . pic.twitter.com/vi3fgJOEsx
— Amit Rana (@amitranabjp) June 28, 2022
CM's tweet
Rajasthan chief minister condemns murder, promises strict action
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot took to Twitter to condemn the shocking murder. "Strict action will be taken against all the criminals involved in this incident and the police will get to the bottom of it. I appeal to all parties to maintain peace" he tweeted in Hindi. "I appeal to everyone not to spoil the atmosphere by sharing the video of this incident."
Possible reason
Lal killed in retaliation for supporting Nupur Sharma?
Lal's family reportedly alleged the tailor shared a post on a social media platform, backing former BJP spokesperson Sharma, a few days ago. It is being speculated that he was killed in retaliation for his post. To recall, the BJP suspended Sharma on June 5 after she made controversial remarks against the Prophet Mohammad during a TV channel debate on the Gyanvapi Mosque row.