Udaipur killing: 2 Pakistanis among 11 named

The Pakistani accused Salman and Abu Ibrahim, residents of Karachi, are said to have instigated the assailants to carry out a 'spectacular' terror attack to avenge 'blasphemy'.

Jaipur, Dec 23: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against 11 persons, including two Pakistani nationals, in connection with the murder of Kanhaiya Lal Teli in Udaipur on June 28 this year. The brutal act was recorded on camera by the accused persons who beheaded the tailor in his shop for supporting Nupur Sharma, former BJP spokesperson who made controversial remarks during a TV debate, and later released the video clip in the social media.

During the said TV debate, a panellist Taslim Rehmani, leader of SDPI (political wing of now banned PFI) was given a befitting reply by Nupur Sharma as the former made derogatory remarks on Hindu gods. Though debate was an as usual heated one, the issue flared up after it was presented in a communal manner by Mohammed Zubair in a portal 'ALT News' co-owned by him.

The Chargesheet

The 11 chargesheeted accused include eight residents of Udaipur, namely Mohammad Riyaz Attari, Mohammad Gos, Mohsin Khan, Asif Hussain, Mohammad Mohsin, Vasim Ali, Farhad Mohammad Sheikh and Mohammed Javed. The ninth accused Muslim Khan hails from Pratapgarh district in Rajasthan. Two of the chargesheeted accused are Pakistani citizens Salman and Abu Ibrahim, both residents of Karachi who are said to have instigated the assailants to carry out a spectacular terror attack to avenge in the name of blasphemous post.

The assailants had circulated the video of the murder on social media to create panic and terror amongst the masses across the country. Investigations, according to an NIA statement, have revealed that the accused persons, operating as a terror module, conspired to take revenge against Kanhaiya Lal's support to Sharma's controversial statement.

The accused were radicalised and took inspiration from incriminating audios/videos/messages being circulated from within and outside India. The accused arranged deadly knives/arms and murdered Kanhaiya Lal in reaction to his Facebook Post and attacked a co-worker in his shop in broad daylight. They made a video of the killing, released and made it viral. They also shot another threatening video with the intentions of striking terror among the people of India.

Zubair's Background

In August 2020, Delhi Police had booked ALT News' co-owner Zubair in a POCSO case on the basis of a complaint filed by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanoongo. The NCPCR complaint had referred to a tweet shared by Zubair on August 6, 2020, which had the photo of a minor girl, with her face blurred out, during an online spat he was having with her father.

Diplomatic Pressure

Sharma's remarks drew condemnations from Muslim countries like Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, after which she was suspended from BJP. After coming to know that she was only incited to make the remarks in reaction to what Rehmani has commented about Hindu gods, people across the spectrum came out in her support and #ISupportNupurSharma started trending on different social media platforms.

The murder created havoc within the business community in Rajasthan and people across the country. As a result, famous 'dargahs' like Ajmer Sharif and Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi were boycotted by the Hindu community, which brought their business down to one-fourth of the usual. During investigation, the NIA unearthed the whole communal agenda behind the killing with far-reaching consequences.

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