On June 29, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan reacted to the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, a Hindu tailor from Udaipur, by two Islamists. In a statement, Khan said the deeper disease is being ignored despite the symptoms being visible. He pointed out the rampant radicalisation going on inside madrasas and stated, “children studying there are being taught that the punishment for blasphemy is beheading.”
We worry when symptoms come but refuse to notice the deeper disease. Children are being taught in madrassas that punishment for blasphemy is beheading. It’s being taught as the law of God…What’s being taught there should be examined: Kerala Gov AM Khan on Udaipur beheading case pic.twitter.com/oqys2KFGyS
— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2022
He said, “We worry when symptoms come but refuse to notice the deeper disease. Children are being taught in madarsas that punishment for blasphemy is beheading. It’s being taught as the law of God. What’s being taught, there should be examined.”
Murder of Kanhaiya Lal
A Hindu tailor named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered by two Islamists identified as Mohammed Riyaz Akhtar and Mohammed Gos on June 28. The murder was reportedly in retaliation to a social media post by Kanhaiya Lal in support of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Earlier, Kanhaiya Lal was arrested for the post based on the complaint of his neighbour Nazim.
After getting released on bail, Kanhaiya Lal continued to receive threats. He noticed 5-7 people, including Nazim, continuously did recce of his shop, and he was threatened not to open his tailoring shop. Kanhaiya Lal approached Police for legal action against those who were threatening him and requested Police protection so that he could open the shop.
The Police, instead of arresting those who were threatening him, called them and made them sign a compromise agreement. Kanhaiya Lal had submitted another application on the same day that he did not want legal action following the compromise. Scared for his life, Kanhaiya Lal kept his shop shut for six days. When he finally decided to open his shop, he was brutally murdered by the two Islamists who posed as his customers.
The killers made a video attacking him and also made a video later gloating about the crime. They also threatened to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the video.
MHA has handed over the investigation to NIA.
