Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal today took to Twitter to express ‘condolences’ on the death of Lucknow resident Vivek Tiwari, who was allegedly killed by a bullet injury, fired by Uttar Pradesh Police on the intervening night of 28th and 29th September.
विवेक तिवारी तो हिंदू था? फिर उसको इन्होंने क्यों मारा? भाजपा के नेता पूरे देश में हिंदू लड़कियों का रेप करते घूमते हैं?
अपनी आँखों से पर्दा हटाइए। भाजपा हिंदुओं की हितैषी नहीं है। सत्ता पाने के लिए अगर इन्हें सारे हिंदुओं का क़त्ल करना पड़े तो ये दो मिनट नहीं सोचेंगे https://t.co/A2LhxrVNpv
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 30, 2018
In the first tweet tweeted at 6:40 am, almost 24 hours after the incident took place, Kejriwal said, “Vivek Tiwari was a Hindu, then why kill him? BJP leaders are freely raping girls across the country? Open your eyes, BJP is not a wellwisher of the Hindus. To get to power, they will not think twice before murdering all Hindus.”
Kejriwal’s tweet came almost 24 hours after the UP Police had filed a case of murder (under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code) against the two policemen who shot Vivek Tiwari, who later succumbed to injuries.
This is a sad incident. A case of murder (section 302 IPC) has been registered against the two policemen. Stringent action will be taken: Anand Kumar, UP ADG Law & Order on incident where Vivek Tiwari was shot at by police personnel yesterday. He later succumbed to his injuries pic.twitter.com/5Su6E4VfjQ
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 29, 2018
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) had also been formed under the SP Crime of UP Police for a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
A SIT has been formed under SP crime. I have personally sent a request to District Magistrate for a magisterial inquiry into the incident: Kalanidhi Naithani, SSP Lucknow on death of Lucknow resident, Vivek Tiwari pic.twitter.com/pJ6mtSyho8
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 29, 2018
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also condemned the incident and said that if needed, a CBI probe will be ordered into it.
It was not an encounter. An investigation will be conducted in this incident. If needed, we will order a CBI inquiry into the incident: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on death of Lucknow resident Vivek Tiwari pic.twitter.com/lpxiDGHjEz
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 29, 2018
Tiwari’s death was condemned by authorities and action had been initiated against the policemen involved within hours of the incident, but Arvind Kejriwal chose to ignore all this to give it a ‘religious’ twist and take a dig at Yogi government. He then went further with the allegations and quoted Rohini Singh who is associated with The Wire, and said that the BJP does not ‘protect the interest of the Hindus’.
No. Even though Vivek Tiwari was a Hindu. BJP does not protect the interests of Hindus. https://t.co/ecnhTK2cd8
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 30, 2018
Rohini had tweeted at 12:45 am on 30th September, questioning whether there will be a proper investigation in the Vivek Tiwari murder, hours after the case against the two policemen who had shot at Tiwari was registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police and action has been initiated against them.
Even when Singh was questioning the Uttar Pradesh Police, Kejriwal took this opportune moment to again bring a religious twist to it. Kejriwal, however, got called out by Twitter users who pointed out his insensitivity and an attempt to communalise a crime. AAP rebel leader Kapil Mishra asked Kejriwal to get himself checked by a doctor since he seems to have gone mad in attempt to be anti-Modi and anti-BJP.
ये भाषा – हिन्दू को मारा,हिन्दू लड़कियों का रेप किया, हिंदुओं का क़त्ल – बिल्कुल आग लगा देना चाहते हैं देश में
देश जलाकर क्या मिलेगा? सत्ता? पैसा? ईनाम?
आप मोदी और भाजपा विरोध में पागल हो चुके हैं
ईलाज़ करवाइये https://t.co/HnS3knn67j
— Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) September 30, 2018
He was also reminded how many Hindus (since Kejriwal was quick to point out Tiwari’s death), are also killed in West Bengal, where Mamata Banerjee is the chief minister, whom Kejriwal refers to as ‘didi’ (elder sister).
सर जी अभी हाल ही में दो हिंदू छात्र आपकी दीदी के राज में भी गोली से मारे गए हैं…. कृपया धर्म को रहने दें, कानून व्यवस्था की बात करें ?? https://t.co/zUO2pYmlLA
— richa anirudh (@richaanirudh) September 30, 2018
Saner voices came together to call out Kejriwal on this.
I have a feeling 2019 elections will create history. Not for its verdict and who comes to power but for what happens in the run up to the elections. This is getting insane. https://t.co/wE7Vjrzqsc
— Raj Shekhar Jha (@rajshekharTOI) September 30, 2018
Some even questioned whether he meant that killing of Muslims was okay?
केजरीवाल जी यंहा कहना चाहते हैं कि हिन्दू को क्यों मारा मुसलमान को मारना चाहिए था और मुस्लिम लड़कियों का रेप करने चाहिए था , केजरीवाल जी मुसलमानो से इतनी नफरत क्यों? क्या ऐसे जीतोगे 2019 लोकसभा सीट? आप निराश हैं हताश हैं मोदी जी की लोकप्रियता से और मानसिक संतुलन खो दिया है।
— Bhrustrated® Activist (@AnupamUncl) September 30, 2018
That he threw in rape casually in a tweet to communalise and politicise a murder was also got called out.
Not only is this repulsive character trivializing rape using it as a tool of political rhetoric, he also has the track record of asking a female party worker to “compromise” in the face of sexual harassment from a colleague. She killed herself. https://t.co/Dds4fQIYvd
— Oldtimer (@auldtimer) September 30, 2018
An Aam Aadmi Party volunteer, Soni who had committed suicide in 2016, was reportedly adviced by Arvind Kejriwal to ‘compromise‘ when she complained to him about an AAP worker of sexually abusing her.
Kejriwal then tweeted how he had ‘spoken to his wife on phone’ just now.
Spoke to his wife on phone just now…. https://t.co/veB9Mijwbv
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 30, 2018
Tiwari’s wife, however, was upset at Kejriwal’s attempt to link religion to her husband’s death.
मृतक #VivekTiwari की पत्नी का बयान
“@ArvindKejriwal को ऐसा नहीं कहना चाहिए था
उन्हे दोबारा सोचना चाहिए ,
सब कुछ धर्म से नहीं जोड़ना चाहिए ,
उन्हें ऐसा ट्वीट नहीं करना था ।”@News18India @HindiNews18 @awasthis https://t.co/9x1NnquE5k— Ravi Pratap Dubey (@ravipratapdubey) September 30, 2018
Kalpana Tiwari, Vivek’s wife, even in time of grief could see Kejriwal’s attempt to communalise her husband’s death, but some media outlets couldn’t.
India Today published a story titled ‘Murder of #VivekTiwari: Arvind Kejriwal hits out at Yogi Government’, giving a free pass to Kejriwal to spread religious divide. 
After being called out on social media, India Today quietly changed the headline and edited the article.
Other media houses, too, instead of calling out Kejriwal’s dirty, divisive politics, chose to highlight Kejriwal’s communal tweet.
It is unfortunate that the political discourse in India has come down to such a level that chief minister of a state, an elected public representative, who is an IIT alumnus and also served as a bureaucrat, has stooped to such a low level that he has chosen to communalise a murder and instead of questioning the police administration, is discussing the religion of the deceased.
