It has been revealed recently that a post in support of Bharatiya Janata Party’s former spokesperson Nupur Sharma might have led to the murder of Umesh Kolhe in Amravati on June 21. His post was forwarded by his close friend and veterinarian by profession Dr Yusuf Khan. As per Kolhe’s family, Yusuf was a good friend who would invite Kolhe to family functions. They have known each other for over 16 years. Yusuf had shared Kolhe’s post in message groups of his community that might have led to his murder.
During the investigation, the Police found that Kolhe was not the only one who was targeted by the Islamists. Before him, three more people had received death threats. They were forced to record apology videos. One of the victims was convinced by the Police to file a formal complaint. A separate investigation has been initiated into the matter.
According to a report in the Times of India, Yusuf told the investigating officers that he was jealous of Kolhe’s success. TOI quoted an unnamed source who said, “Yusuf was offended that while Kolhe prospered due to customers from his community, he backstabbed them by badmouthing the prophet and supporting those who insulted him.”
Kolhe’s family was unaware of the threats issued to him or others. Notably, Amravati Police faced strong criticism for terming the murder as a case of robbery during the initial investigation. BJP has alleged that the real motives were hidden by the Police due to political reasons.
The case will be investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as per the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The case was officially handed over to the central investigation agency on Monday. As per the sources, after the murder, the Police recorded the statements of Kolhe’s family and relatives. They also scrutinized his cellphone but did not mention threats anywhere.
On July 1, Dr Yusuf was arrested by the Police during questioning for the third time after they found out he had forwarded Kolhe’s post. The family was shocked to learn about his role in the murder. It is noteworthy that Yusuf had attended Kolhe’s funeral.
Reports suggest that Kolhe had created a WhatsApp group for veterinarians. Yusuf was a member of the group. He had forwarded some messages in support of Nupur Sharma and other issues, including Love Jihad. Those messages were forwarded by Yusuf to his community groups.
The mastermind of the murder, Sheikh Irfan Khan, was irked by the messages, and he planned to murder Kolhe with others. Khan runs an NGO, and the Police are also investigating its funding. As per the reports, Khan funded and provided logistics for the murder.
Multiple arrests have been made in the case, and the security of Kolhe’s family has been increased.
At a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) local body representatives gathering in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, Member of Parliament A Raja warned the Centre ‘not to compel’ the party to resurrect the demand for a separate Tamil Nadu.
Speaking at the function, Raja said, “DMK has given up the call for separate Tamil Nadu and has come for State autonomy. But our ideological godfather Periyar demanded a separate Tamil Nadu till his death, but we have kept aside that demand and accepted Federalism for the country’s integrity and democracy.”
“Very humbly I’m requesting PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah not to make us revive the demand for a separate Tamil Nadu, please give us state autonomy,” he further said.
A Raja is the Member of Parliament for the Nilgiris electorate and the DMK’s deputy general secretary. Raja was advocating for an independent Tamil Nadu, as proposed by Periyar, recognised as the “Father of the Dravidian Movement.” It is pertinent to mention that A Raja was the Information Technology minister under Manmohan Singh’s UPA government when the 2G spectrum fraud was exposed.
Rahul Gandhi’s version of India as a ‘Union of States’
It should be noted that the DMK partners with the Indian National Congress in the state government. It is also worth noting that Rahul Gandhi, the Gandhi scion and Congress MP from Wayanad, recently asserted that India is not a nation. Rahul Gandhi told The Print columnist Shruti Kapila at a Cambridge University event that India is more like a ‘union of states’ like the European Union than a nation like Britain. A Raja’s views appear to be in line with Rahul Gandhi’s remarks.
For the past several months, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been promoting a Balkanised version of the so-called ‘idea of India,’ characterising it as a union of states rather than a nation. According to Rahul Gandhi, India is not defined as a nation in our constitution, but rather as a confederation of states known as Bharat.
Days after the brutal murder of a Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur by two Islamists, the American news magazine Time sought to downplay the severity of the heinous crime.
In an article published on Friday (July 1), Time reporter Sanya Mansoor used the gruesome killing to peddle the narrative of ‘Muslim victimhood’ and trivialise the security and safety concerns of the Hindu community in India.
At the very onset, Mansoor shifted the discourse from the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal to supposed ‘chilling calls for revenge’ against the ‘marginalised’ Muslim population.
Screengrab of the Times article
While trying to contextualise the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, Sanya Mansoor suggested that the poor Hindu tailor had drawn the wrath of the Islamists upon himself by supporting the ‘derogatory comments’ of ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
Meanwhile, Mansoor also tried to shield the co-religionists of the killers and praise them for their token condemnations. “Muslim politicians and Islamic preachers swiftly condemned the killing,” she asserted while conveniently ignoring their collective silence over calls of ‘Sarr tan se juda chants all over India backed by the same people.
The bewilderment of the Hindu majority
Hindus in India are caught in a state of dilemma. They can neither demand protection from the State as they happen to be the ‘non-violent majority’ nor can they defend themselves out of the fear of being called brute majoritarians, oblivious to minority rights.
As such, the cornered Hindus are busy running hashtags on social media, hoping to wake up the State from its deep slumber. In recent years, the community has been able to garner support globally and raise awareness in the virtual world for their plight.
However, Islamists and their sympathisers in the media want to snatch away even this last remaining recourse from the Hindus to voice their concerns. Such an attempt was made by Sanya Mansoor in her vicious article in Time. This became evident when she went on an unhinged tirade against the social media hashtag ‘Hindu Lives Matter.’
She claimed, “Political experts call that dangerous, risking the amplification of a heinous but isolated crime into an assertion of systemic violence against Hindus, who make up some 80% of India’s 1.2 billion people.”
The murder of Kanhaiya Lal is not an isolated incident
It must be recalled that the murder of Kanhaiya Lal by Islamists, namely, Riyaz Attari and Mohammad Ghaus, is not an isolated incident. 7 days prior to his beheading, another Hindu man named Umesh Kolhe was hacked to death for supporting Nupur Sharma.
Several people, including TV actresses, have received death threats for merely speaking in support of the ex-BJP spokesperson. In the days leading up to the brutal murders, Islamists ransacked public property, set vehicles on fire and brought life to a standstill in several cities across India.
The common Hindu, unaware of his sense of religious identity, watched in silence while the Islamists created mayhem on the streets. Their unabashed display of street power, coupled with the silence of their ‘moderate’ co-religionists, have struck terror in the heart of an average Hindu.
It must not be forgotten that there was a Kishan before Kanhaiya and a Kamlesh before Kishan. All of whom were slaughtered on allegations of blasphemy.
Islamist crimes are always backed by perfect excuses
This has however made way for aspersions that blasphemy, which is a part of public discourse in civilised, secular societies, is somehow to blame for their brutal murders.
Such a vicious argument that tends to rationalise the idea of snatching away a human life even found affirmation in the highest echelons of the Indian judiciary.
Even in the absence of blasphemy, there were attacks on Hindu religious processions as evident from Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti celebrations. While Islamist sympathisers tend to blame the communal violence on the BJP, a thorough reading of history since the 1980s suggests otherwise.
One of the admirable qualities of these extremist elements is that they have an abundance of excuses to justify their heinous crimes. And despite being the aggressors, they are well-equipped to pose as the perpetual victim.
Nupur Sharma and blasphemy is just an eyewash. Islamists are baying for the blood of the non-violent majority, who are left to fend for themselves, with no intellectual ecosystem to back them up.
The assertion of systemic violence against Hindus is real and vivid, which only remains invisible to the eyes of bigots who are blinded by Hindu hatred.
Political ‘journalist’ begs to not generalise all Muslims over ‘isolated cases’
Mansoor sought the comments of one Dhirendra Jha, who has been described as a political journalist and the author of the propaganda book ‘Shadow Armies: Fringe Organizations and Foot Soldiers of Hindutva.’
Jha remarked, “Just because two members of that community commit this type of crime you cannot paint the entire community with the same brush Profile of Dhirendra Jha. This is not good for Indian democracy.”
As evident from the above discussion, the murder of Kanhaiya Lal is not an isolated one. Several Hindus have paid the price of such whitewashing of Islamist crimes with their lives, only to be told that their death should not be used to generalise the Muslim community
Jha happens to be a politburo member of the Communist Party (Marxist and Lenin), which partly explains his attempts to distance religious angle from the gruesome killing of the Hindu tailor.
बर्मा विस्थापितों को सरकार द्वारा दी गयी कानूनी जमीन को समस्तीपुर के खानपुर के सीओ ने घूस लेकर भूस्वामियों के नाम कर दिया है। @cpimlliberation डटकर उनके पक्ष में खड़ा है। माले नेता प्रेमानंद महतो जो विस्थापितों के नेता हैं,के भतीजा को कल गोली मारी गयी! pic.twitter.com/gqSNJrTJp2
However in his propaganda book, Jha left no stone unturned to insinuate that crimes by fringe elements are in fact the manifestation of ‘right-wing Hindutva, fascist politics’ under the Narendra Modi regime.
Youngsters at Academy for Marxist Studies (previously Anil Marxist Sangam) took to reading books on Fascism and summarising them for easy consumption. As a first they have done it for Dhirendra Jha’s “Shadow Armies”. Sharing both English and Tamil summaries in this thread pic.twitter.com/YOsB1Q4w9o
Jha, a contributing writer at the leftist propaganda news portal The Caravan, had earlier mocked India’s largest tax reform at the expense of the Hindu community. He had claimed that there would be a cow tax, temple tax and a Hindu festival, tax after the implementation of the Goods & Services Tax (GST).
Screengrab of the tweet by Dhirendra Jha
His insensitive comments on the Kanhaiya Lal murder should not come as a surprise, given his past track record of doing whataboutery and peddling Muslim victimhood.
Screengrab of the tweet by Dhirendra Jha
Leftist apologist peddles delusional theories interlinking Hindutva with white supremacy
Time reporter Sanya Mansoor also sought refuge in the ‘political expertise’ of a New Zealand-based Professor, Mohan J Dutta. Described as an ‘anti-Muslim hate’ researcher, Mohan outrightly dismissed claims of systematic oppression.
“It’s ironic that a majoritarian structure takes that hashtag to deploy hate towards India’s Muslim minority community, which has consistently been targeted by hate,” he made outlandish assertions about #HinduLivesMatter.
The Professor suggested that the hashtag, meant to describe and uphold the value of Hindu lives, is somehow related to calls for ‘Muslim genocide.’ His past record sheds light on his diatribe against the amplification of Hindu voices, silenced by Islamists.
Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network (SHHAN) had pointed out how Mohan J Dutta had published a propaganda-laden whitepaper, wherein he alleged that Chinmaya Mission NZ and Vishwa Hindu Parishad are terrorist organisations.
Screengrab of the whitepaper by Mohan J Dutta
When asked to provide evidence to back his claims, he resorted to name-calling and censoring Hindu voices. “Along with accusing Hindus of being Islamophobic, Dutta has time and again equated Hindutva with white supremacy,” stated SHHAN.
Mohan has been open about his political affiliations and had urged the people of West Bengal to vote for the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
“As you go in to vote in Bengal, consider what would it take to dismantle the fascist politics of the BJP. #VoteLeft as Left is the only ideological ground for fighting fascists,” he had tweeted.
#LokSabhaPolls#bengalpolls as you go in to vote in Bengal, consider what would it take to dismantle the fascist politics of the BJP. #VoteLeft as Left is the only ideological ground for fighting fascists. My OpEd. https://t.co/mFdWHdQeBO
Mohan J Dutta was also one of the speakers during an anti-Hindu event titled, ‘India on the Brink’ wherein aspersions were cast about an impending Muslim genocide.
Scholar justifies the murder of Kanhaiya Lal as a reaction to Hindu vigilante groups
Angana Chatterji, described as a scholar by Time reporter Sanya Mansoor, had no qualms about contextualising the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal. She hinted that his killing was somehow the outcome of a reactionary force from the Muslims, who are ‘oppressed’ by the Hindu community.
“Systemic violence by state institutions and Hindu vigilante groups against Muslims are bound to commence cycles of violence,” Chatterji had justified.
She then went on to assert that the lives of victims of the Islamist onslaught in India had not been overlooked in a ‘Hindu-majority country.’ The ‘scholar’ from the University of California remarked, “This is a revisionist fabrication of history and the present.”
“She supports “freedom” for Kashmir and has fabricated many reports, some in connivance with international human rights agencies, accusing Indian government and Indian army of sexual violence on Kashmiri women,” states Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network (SHHAN).
Angana Chatterji has been associated with the Jamat-e-Islami-linked Indian American Muslim Council since 2003. According to journalist Vijay Patel, she has actively lobbied against the visa of Narendra Modi in the United States.
8. In 2005 Angana Chatterji and IAMC established another shell organisation ‘Coalition Against Genocide’ (CAG) and claimed that this organisation is a separate entity with the support of 40 different organisations. This CAG has lobbied against the Visa of Narendra Modi in the USA pic.twitter.com/S2RM58ujnf
“In 2011 Angana Chatterji and her husband Richard Shapiro were suspended and later dismissed from California Institute of Integral Studies after students complained against them. They were found guilty of “failure to perform academic duties and violation of professional ethics. Angana Chatterji was also accused of harassing students”, informed SHHAN.
“She calls Indian history ‘nationalistic and mythic’, proclaims the now-debunked Aryan Invasion Theory as correct history, supports history that says Hinduism was created by Aryans from Central Asia and accuses Hindus of subjugating Adivasis and indigenous people,” it added.
Her name cropped up, following the arrest of Pakistani ISI-operative Ghulam Nabi Fai by FBI officials. According to Sandeep Balkrishna, Chatterji was codenamed ‘Mary’ to meet the then ISI’s Security Directorate Major General, Mumtaz Ahmad Bajwa.
Dangerous revelations from the FBI’s arrest of Ghulam Nabi Fai is that Angana Chatterji was codenamed “Mary,” showing extent to which the enemy had cultivated Indians willingly volunteering to backstab India.#BloodyAcidichttps://t.co/hAHOWya257 via @dharmadispatch
Throughout her article, Time reporter Sanya Mansoor used a brutal episode of Islamist terror to build a case against the Hindu community. She pontificated that Hindus by way of their speech and actions have ‘rightfully’ drawn the wrath of Islamists.
This becomes clear from the choice of her ‘political experts’, who reiterate the same talking points and trivialise the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal in one way or the other.
Kanhaiya Lal is not the last victim of terror, perpetuated by Islamists in India. Given the circumstances, Hindus must not give up on their social media activism.
Propaganda pieces in international publications must not bog us down. Social media is our last recourse for justice in a world of mute spectators and deaf ears.
On June 3, at around 8:57 AM, a man attacked a pet dog, and its owner’s family with an iron rod after the dog allegedly barked at him. The incident happened in the A4 block of the Paschim Vihar area in the national capital. As per news agency ANI, the dog owner has filed a complaint with the Police, but the FIR was yet to be registered.
Delhi |A man injured 3 members of a family in his neighbourhood in Paschim Vihar by hitting them with an iron rod allegedly after their pet dog barked at him. He also hit the dog & injured it
Dog’s owner says they filed complaint,FIR yet to be registered. Injured under treatment pic.twitter.com/Do0j4QmMVR
The neighbour of the dog owner’s family was furious after the pet dog barked at him. In CCTV footage shared by netizen Mohit Mohila, the neighbour could be seen charging toward the dog with an iron rod. It appears he was running after a street dog, but as soon as he reached to the family’s house, the pet dog barked at him, and the angry neighbour hit the dog on the head with the iron rod.
The elder man of the family tried to stop him, but the neighbour hit his head with the rod as well. The younger man, who appears to be the son of the elder one, rushed to the rescue. They pushed the neighbour and got hold of his iron rod. Meanwhile, the elder woman seen in the CCTV checked on the injured dog and her husband.
Soon, more people from the neighbourhood came to the rescue and snatched the iron rod from the neighbour. The neighbour was visibly angry throughout the footage shared by Mohit. As per reports, three people were injured in the attack, and they were admitted to the hospital for treatment.
The neighbour attacked his female relative for stopping him
Just before the attack, the enraged neighbour had rushed to his house to pick up the iron rod. A woman who appeared to be his relative, possibly his wife, tried to stop him and grabbed his leg to stop him. The neighbour brutally assaulted her with the iron rod to get her off his leg. The video was also shared by Mohit on Twitter.
A few moments later, the neighbours rushed to pick her up while the man with the iron rod ran towards the dog(s).
The Delhi Police have stated, “The statement of the owner of the dog, a case has been registered under various sections of IPC and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act at Paschim Vihar East Police Station. Investigation of the case is in progress and facts are being verified”.
The Miss India World 2022 winner was announced on Sunday, July 3. Sini Shetty of Karnataka has been crowned the Femina Miss India World 2022. The event took place on Sunday night at Mumbai’s Jio Convention Center.
Originally from Karnataka, Sini Shetty is currently enrolled in a programme to become a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). She will now represent India at the prestigious 71st Miss World pageant.
Shinata Chauhan of Uttar Pradesh was selected as Femina Miss India 2022 second runner-up, and Rubal Shekhawat of Rajasthan was awarded Femina Miss India 2022 first runner-up.
The event’s judging panel included actors Neha Dhupia, Dino Morea, and Malaika Arora, designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, choreographer Shiamak Davar, and former cricketer Mithali Raj. Kriti Sanon, Lauren Gottlieb, and Ash Chandler all performed throughout the star-studded event. Maniesh Paul presented the show.
Sini Shetty is from Karnataka. The beauty queen, who is aged 21, was born in Mumbai and has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance. Sini Shetty is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. Sini’s victory has brought another glorious jewel to the state of Karnataka, as many beauties, like Lara Dutta, Sarah Jane Dias, and Sandhya Chib, have made history for the state.
The Miss India finals will be shown on Colors TV on July 17. In its hybrid structure, the contest had started a countrywide search for promising talent from all around the country via virtual auditions. As per a message from the organisers, the comprehensive scouting drive and following interview rounds resulted in the shortlisting of 31 state champions.
On June 3, a 22-years-old Danish man barged into the Field’s shopping centre in Copenhagen, Denmark, and opened fire on the shoppers. As per reports, three people were killed and several injured in the incident. The attacker was arrested by the Police and charged with manslaughter.
BREAKING: A shooting at a Copenhagen shopping mall on Sunday left several dead and injured, police said.
The suspect, who is in custody, is a 22-year-old Danish man who was detained near the Fields shopping mall. https://t.co/79XPthHXQa
Notably, singer Harry Styles was scheduled to perform at an event nearby the shopping mall that was cancelled after the attack. In a tweet Styles wrote, “I’m heartbroken along with the people of Copenhagen. I adore this city. The people are so warm and full of love. I’m devastated for the victims, their families, and everyone hurting. I’m sorry we couldn’t be together. Please look after each other. H”
I’m heartbroken along with the people of Copenhagen. I adore this city. The people are so warm and full of love.
I’m devastated for the victims, their families, and everyone hurting.
I’m sorry we couldn’t be together. Please look after each other. H
Another event scheduled to commemorate the end of Tour de France stages hosted by the Crown prince was also cancelled. Queen Margrethe, her son Crown Prince Frederik and his wife, Crown Princess Mary said in a statement, “We do not yet know the full extent of the tragedy, but it is already clear that more people have lost their lives and that even more have been injured. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy are with the victims, their relatives and all those affected by the tragedy.”
Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen said in a statement, “Denmark was hit by a horrific attack on Sunday night. Several people have been killed. Even more people were injured. Innocent families out shopping or eating. Children, young and adults. Sending my deepest sympathy to those who lost their loved ones. The injured and their relatives. And to all the Danes who have been close to the scary events. I would encourage the Danes to stand together and support each other in this difficult moment. We have all been brutally ripped out of the bright summer that we had just started. This is beyond comprehension. Heartbreaking. Meaningless. Our beautiful and normally so safe capital was changed in a split second. Thank you to the police, first responders and ambulance people. Also a warm thank you to all the people who have been ready to help. Finally, I encourage everyone to follow the ongoing communication and instructions from authorities.”
Message by PM Frederiksen. (Translated by Facebook)
The incident took place at noon on Sunday. As soon as the Police were informed, armed Police officers were sent to the Field’s mall. At 5:48 PM (local time), the Police arrested the attacker, who was carrying a rifle and ammunition. A massive search operation was carried out in the nearby area to ensure there were no accomplices of the attacker.
Copenhagen Chief Police Inspector Soren Thomassen said, “We are going to have a large investigation and a massive operational presence in Copenhagen until we can say with certainty that he was alone.” Thomassen added that a man in his 40s, a young man and a young woman were killed in the attack. Three of the injured were reportedly in critical condition. He further said that in the prima facie, there was no racial motive in the attack, but it might change during the investigation.
First terror attack since 2015
This was the first terror attack in Denmark since 2015. In the last terror attack, two people were killed, and six police officers were injured by a lone attacker. The gunman was killed in a shoot-out with the Danish Police.
Denmark’s Security and Intelligence Services has assessed the terror threat against the nation to be ‘serious’. As per the latest report by the agency, Islamists are the biggest threat. The right-wing extremists possess a ‘general’ level threat that means they are capable and/or have an intent to a possible attack.
A day after being arrested for making provocative speeches over the Nupur Sharma row, Maulana Mufti Nadeem and Maulana Alam Raza Ghor were released on bail from the Bundi jail in Rajasthan on Saturday (July 2).
The duo was released on a surety bond of ₹1 lakh each. The development had elated the supporters of Maulana Nadeem, who gathered outside the Bundi jail in violation of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) Section 144.
The Islamic cleric was initially sentenced to 14 days in judicial custody but nevertheless released on bail within 24 hours of arrest.
Following the gruesome killing of Kanhaiya Lal, the Congress government in Rajasthan was forced to act against the cleric. By then, 28 days had elapsed since his disturbing speech.
In videos that have surfaced on social media, the Islamic cleric was seen making a royal entry and displayed no sense of remorse.
Mufti Nadeem and his accomplice arrested in the hate speech case from Bundi, Rajasthan. He had made a provocative statement against Nupur Sharma 28 days ago. He is walking here as if he has been invited as a Chief Guest by Rajasthan Police.pic.twitter.com/3w5BQ2X1Dl
Maulana Mufti Nadeem had made an inflammatory speech at the Bundi Directorate during a protest on June 3 this year. He had infamously threatened to gouge the eyes and chop the hands of people who criticise Prophet Mohammad.
“If she has done blasphemy against my master, which she has done, and if someone else does the same, listen carefully… take action against them. If you fail to take action, Muslims will take the matter into their hands,” Maulana Nadeem warned.
गर्दन काट देंगे, हाथ काट देंगे , अंगुली काट देंगे @PoliceRajasthan ये शांतिदूत नमूना आपकी पुलिस की मौजूदगी में , बूँदी में खुलेआम धमकी दे रहा है । कोई कार्यवाही करेंगे या आका ने मना कर रखा है pic.twitter.com/2LqKMkgNk4
— Laxmikant bhardwaj (@lkantbhardwaj) June 4, 2022
He added, “If Muslims give reactions, look at the history, whenever Muslims gave reaction against any community they became homeless. If you do not take action, we will react. This is not a request. This is an open threat. “
While threatening to chop hands and gouge eyes for blasphemy, he said, “You can abuse me, I will tolerate. You can abuse my father, I will tolerate it. You can abuse my family, I will tolerate it. But if you speak even a word against my Nabi, your tongue will be cut. If you raise your hands, they will be chopped.
On October 18, 2019, Kamlesh Tiwari was killed in his own house in Khurshidbagh of Lucknow by two assailants dressed in saffron robes. The murder was similar to that of the tailor Kanhaiya Lal who was murdered in Udaipur, Rajasthan on June 28, 2022. Islamists accused both deceased of blasphemy. On 22nd June 2022, three years after Kamlesh Tiwari’s murder, his wife Kiran Tiwari received a threatening letter written in Urdu script. Through this letter, Kiran Tiwari received a threat that she too will be killed like her husband. OpIndia spoke to Kamlesh Tiwari’s family on July 3, 2022 (Sunday) to know the current situation.
Someone secretly kept the threat letter in the office
OpIndia spoke to Mrudul Tiwari, the younger son of the late Kamlesh Tiwari. He said, “We did not know when the threatening letter came. There were several letters in the office. This one was one of them. One day, when our office in-charge opened the letters and started reading them one by one, the threat was found on the office table. This is a letter written in Urdu, which we translated and found out that there is a threat to mother (Kiran Tiwari). In the letter, Yogiji’s face (CM Yogi Adityanath’s picture) is also marked with a cross sign.”
The threat letter was received by Kiran Tiwari.
Security of house tightened after threat
Mrudul Tiwari told, “As soon as we got the letter, we informed the administration. After this, the police tightened the security measures provided at our house. Earlier, there were 4 policemen deployed in the security of the house. The number has now increased to 6. There is already a gunman for mother’s security. He accompanies our mother wherever she goes.”
The key conspirator is still absconding
Mrudul Tiwari added, “I am a student in intermediate college. We are 3 brothers. The eldest brother is studying LLB. The other one is also studying. In all, 13 accused were arrested in my father’s murder case. Out of them, five accused got bail. It also includes Maulana Kaifi of Bareilly. One of the accused, Tanvir Hashmi, has not been caught since the incident. He is the mastermind of the conspiracy. It is heard that he has fled to Nepal.”
The government promised a lot but delivered nothing
Mrudul Tiwari further said, “The government had promised a government job to one of our family members. The DM of Sitapur also gave it in writing. But even after 3 years, no one has been given a job. We want this job for our older brother. With this, there was an assurance to run the case of our father’s assassination (Kamlesh Tiwari) in the fast track court, and this also did not happen. There was also a promise to give an arms license to our mother. This promise has not been fulfilled so far. In the name of help, 15 lakh rupees were received from the government. We are using those funds on our education and household expenses, and also on fighting the case in the court to get justice for our father.”
‘I will follow my father’s footsteps’
Mrudul Tiwari asserted, “My father’s blood is in my veins. I will take his mission ahead. I will work for the good cause of Hinduism.”
The Supreme Court transferred the case on demand of the murder accused
Talking to OpIndia, Kiran Tiwari, wife of late Kamlesh Tiwari, said, “The Supreme Court transferred the case from Lucknow to Prayagraj on the demand of the killers while the arrested accused are still lodged in Lucknow jail. The killers were citing the issue of their safety in Lucknow. Surprisingly, those who can come to Lucknow from Gujarat to commit the murder are afraid of fighting the case in Lucknow and the Supreme Court has accepted this. Now I have to go to Prayagraj, 200 km away from Lucknow, on every date at my own expense. During this time, there is only one gunner with me. It is not only a waste of money but a compromise on my security for the whole day.”
‘We have 2-3 lawyers with us; the killers have dozens including Hindus’
Kiran Tiwari further said, “Mahmood Pracha was the Supreme Court lawyer who got the killers’ case transferred to Prayagraj. He is considered an influential lawyer. In Prayagraj court, usually, there are only 2 to 3 lawyers during the hearing on our behalf while dozens of lawyers stand to argue for the killers. Many among those dozens of lawyers are Hindus. It hurts us a lot to see this. Actually, there is more money on the opposite side and we are financially weak.”
‘At this pace, the case may take 50 years’
Kiran Tiwari told, “If the case had been in the fast track court as promised, the killers would have been punished. But I’m just getting one date after the other. If this continues so, we’ll have to fight the case for 50 years. There has been no witness yet. 15 lakh rupees given by the government will finish soon. No one has even got a job as promised. To get the job, we also got an order from the High Court one month ago. The order says that we should be given the job within two months. But we don’t know what will happen.”
‘They spit on our posters’
OpIndia spoke to Kamlesh Tiwari’s office in charge Vishal Gupta. He said, “I have been coming to Kamlesh Tiwari Ji’s office since I was 14. I myself live in Maulvi Ganj, a Muslim-dominated area of Lucknow. Some people spit on the banner posters we put up there. After Nupur Sharma’s case appeared in the news, the people of my locality had put up a WhatsApp status demanding to behead. The government should take care of us. Even if the police increase patrolling in our area, it will be a great relief for us.”
As the investigations in the Umesh Kolhe murder case in Amravati of Maharashtra have achieved major progress with the seven accused including the mastermind, more details about the case have come forward. It is revealed in the police investigation that Dr. Yusuf Khan, the eldest of the arrested accused instigated all the murderers for this murder.
Dr. Yusuf Khan was a good friend of Umesh Kolhe who had helped him many times. Dr. Yusuf Khan was the admin of the WhatsApp group in which Umesh Kolhe had shared a post supporting former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma, which led to his murder.
Umesh Kolhe’s murderers were all closely related, as several of them worked with an NGO run by the key conspirator Sheikh Irfan, who has been identified as the mastermind behind the crime.
Umesh Kolhe’s friend Dr. Yusuf Khan was the instigator
Veterinary doctor Yusuf Khan and chemist Umesh Kolhe knew each other for the past several years, and they were good friends. Yusuf Khan often sought help from Umesh Kolhe who seldom disappointed his friend. He used to lend money to Yusuf Khan in hours of need. Umesh Kolhe had helped Dr. Yusuf Khan at the time of his sister’s wedding and his children’s admissions too. Despite such good relations, Dr. Yusuf Khan conspired to kill Umesh Kolhe.
Dr. Yusuf Khan is the eldest among the arrested accused. He was supposed to keep a watch on viral messages on social media and identify the targets. He was the admin of the group called Black Freedom in which Umesh Kolhe had shared a post supporting Nupur Sharma. Dr Yusuf Khan shared this information with another group called Rahebariya and informed his friends Sheikh Irrfan and others, and created hatred in their minds for Umesh Kolhe.
Sheikh Irrfan planned the attack
After Dr Yusuf Khan spread hatred against Umesh Kolhe, Sheikh Irfan came into action. He planned the murder. He gave the responsibility of recce to Maulana Mudassir Ahmed alias Sonu Raza Sheikh Ibrahim. After this, Sheikh Irfan involved daily wage workers in this plan. They included Shahrukh Pathan (age 25), Abdul Taufiq (age 24), Shoaib Khan alias Bhurya (age 22), and Atib Rashid (age 22). On the night of June 21, Shoaib stabbed Umesh Kolhe in his neck. None of these four criminals has any past criminal record.
Irfan resides in the Pathan Chowk chawl in the Kamela Area. His neighbours said that he was a welder but the epidemic caused problems for his welding business. Irfan runs a registered NGO called Rahebar that worked for differently-abled according to its Facebook page. The four daily wage workers he chose to execute the murder had previously volunteered for this NGO.
Radicalized conspirator executed the murder
According to a report by the Indian Express, Sheikh Irfan’s neighbours said that he had became “extremely religious” recently and took up social activities about seven years ago. Additionally, he is alleged to have backed the anti-CAA demonstrations. Irfan, a school dropout, lived with his mother, younger brother, wife, two boys, one of whom is differently-abled, and a daughter. His residence has been locked for about a week.
A police source said, “I knew him well. He would come to the police station with public issues. He has a petty assault case against him; he was also detained for questioning when he helped his friend to elope with a girl from another community.”
Killers were no different than the conspirator
According to local sources, the arrested accused Muddassir Shaikh and Abdul Taufiq Taslim were also ‘very religious’. A source said, “Abdul was short-tempered. A few years ago, he went to the Nagpuri Gate police station in the middle of the night, demanding that an FIR be registered against a Facebook post for hurting religious sentiments. After the chemist’s murder, he bragged to others that he had killed the man who insulted the Prophet. Police got their first lead from this.”
The CCTV footage reveals recce
After the murder, when the police started the investigation, they got some CCTV footage before the incident. In the video, three accused dressed in black are seen doing recce of the place. In another footage, the three accused are seen heading toward the spot to execute the murder.
The post-mortem report
The postmortem report of Amravati chemist Umesh Kolhe has been received. According to the report, his brain vein was damaged due to the knife attack. Besides, his breathing tube, oesophagus, and nerves of his eyes were also damaged in this attack. The wound found on Umesh’s neck was five inches wide, seven inches long and five inches deep.
The police had made misleading claims
The police are also under question in the Amravati murder case. The police are accused of deliberately describing the hate crime as a robbery killing and concealing that the reason for the murder was posts in support of Nupur Sharma, while the Maharashtra ATS was already investigating the case from the terror angle. Police had claimed that it was robbery case gone wrong, as the accused had killed Kolhe after he refused to give them anything. But this claim was questioned by many, including Maharashtra BJP leaders, because the accused have no past crime records, and they didn’t take anything from Kolhe after attacking him. Umesh Kolhe was carrying around Rs 3000s cash and had his phone with him, which were found at the crime scene.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, Union Home Minister Amit Shah handed over the case to the NIA and the team reached Amravati and lodged an FIR. Mudassir Ahmed, Shah Rukh Pathan, Abdul Taufiq, Shoaib Khan, Atib Rashid, Yusuf Khan and Sheikh Irrfan and others have been named as accused in the FIR.
Amravati incident very serious, killing is barbaric. Accused, mastermind nabbed. NIA investigating it, finding if there is some international connection. This was initially portrayed as theft, that too will be investigated: Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis outside Maharashtra assembly pic.twitter.com/Qa1yTmCy8q
About the misleading by police in the Umesh Kolhe murder case, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “Amravati incident very serious, killing is barbaric. Accused, mastermind nabbed. NIA investigating it, finding if there is some international connection. This was initially portrayed as theft, that too will be investigated.”
On the 4th of July, Punjab and Haryana High Court will hear a petition by the followers of Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan alleging that baba has been replaced in prison by a dummy. Ram Rahim walked out of prison a couple of weeks ago on month-long parole, but the petitioners are alleging that the man who walked out of the prison on parole is a different person altogether.
The petitioners, including a person named Ashok Kumar, claimed themselves to be staunch followers of Dera Sacha Sauda. They have alleged that there have been several changes in the appearance of Ram Rahim after his release from prison on parole.
The petitioners have said that after he came out on parole, they noticed that his height has increased, the length of the fingers of his hands has changed, as well as the size of his feet. They have also alleged that the size of his eyes has reduced with a change in the shape of the eyes. They also claimed that the voice and body language of the released person is different when compared to the original Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
The petitioners have further stated that the interactions of Ram Rahim are different now when compared to his pre-prison period. He is contradicting the statements given by the ‘original’ Baba, and is even struggling to identify the old friends of Ram Rahim.
The petitioners have alleged that the original Baba Ram Rahim has been kidnapped and taken to Udaipur, and he will be replaced by this dummy to take control of the huge immovable property belonging to Dera Sacha Sauda, as Ram Rahim is the only owner of the trust controlling this wealth.
Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim SIngh Insan is currently serving a life sentence
In October last year, Ram Rahim was convicted in a murder case by the special CBI court in Haryana. The special CBI court had found Ram Rahim and 4 others guilty in the murder case of Ranjit Singh. He was awarded a life sentence in this case of murder.
Ram Rahim was already serving a long prison sentence after being convicted in a rape case by the same CBI court in 2017. He has been out on parole since the 17th of June.
The petition from Baba’s followers over the authenticity of the released Baba will be heard by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the pre-lunch session on the 4th of July.
