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NIA dismisses ‘terror outfit’ angle in Kanhaiya Lal murder, many people including Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot had made such insinuations

OpIndia Staff
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NIA dismisses ‘terror outfit’ angle in Kanhaiya Lal murder, many people including Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot had made such insinuations

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has dismissed the ‘terror outfit’ angle in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case. On June 30 the probing agency denied the involvement of any terrorist organization in the brutal murder of a Hindu tailor by Islamists that took place on 28th June 2022 in Udaipur. It is notable that, many people including the Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot had made insinuations that there can be some terrorist organization behind this incident.

NIA said that some media reports about the links of the two accused with some terrorist outfit are based on speculation. It also held that the preliminary inquiry suggests that there may not be any terrorist group involved in the murder but a terror gang.

Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, the accused in the brutal murder of Kanhaiya Lal are to be presented in a special NIA court in Jaipur either on June 30 or July 1. They will be questioned in Rajasthan and not be brought to Delhi. The NIA also informed that there will be many group members of the accused and not just two. A six to ten-member NIA team is supposed to investigate the case under the supervision of an Inspector General and a Deputy Inspector General ranks officer.

Many including CM Ashok Gehlot called it an act of terror organisation

Earlier, many speculations were being made about the involvement of some terrorist outfit and Pakistan in this murder. According to some media reports, the killer Riyaz was attached to the Pakistani terror outfit Dawat-e-Islami. This claim was reportedly made by Rajasthan’s Director General of Police ML Lathar. NDTV reported that the beheading was inspired by ISIS. NDTV did not directly mention that this is Islamic terrorism but tried to separate Islam by including the ISIS angle in this case.

On Thursday, June 30, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot reached Udaipur to meet deceased Kanhaiya Lal’s family who was killed by two Islamic assailants over his post in support of Nupur Sharma. While talking to the media, Gehlot glossed over the Islamist communal crime as an ‘act of terror’ with connections outside the country.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot was seen patting his back upon the ‘swift’ arrest of the murderers of Kanhaiya Lal, a Hindu tailor who was killed in his own shop on June 28 in Udaipur. Talking to the media, Gehlot said, “We found out within one night that this case has connections internationally. This tells us that this incident is an act of terror. This has nothing to do with two religions fighting with each other.”

The testimony of the killers in the viral video

However, the killers themselves had done no such ambiguity or whitewashing. They had made it perfectly clear that they were killing Kanhaiya Lal ‘in the name of Allah’, because (by sharing a post in support of Nupur Sharma) he had insulted Prophet Muhammad, as per them, and had added that anyone who insults Prophet Muhammad has to be beheaded.

CM Ashok Gehlot who was seeing glorifying the ‘swift’ action of the Police against the perpetrators, also made a bizarre and problematic claim about the nature of the violence. By calling it merely an act of ‘terror’ with international linkages, Gehlot whitewashed the fact that the incident was an Islamic act of terror. The religious angle in the case cannot be subsumed as admittedly it was revenge for the supposed ‘blasphemy’ committed by Kanhaiya Lal in supporting Nupur Sharma. Now, NIA has also denied the involvement f any terrorist organization in this murder.

Two other men were arrested for supporting Nupur Sharma, one Nitin Jain fled Udaipur after Islamists started to issue threats: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Two other men were arrested for supporting Nupur Sharma, one Nitin Jain fled Udaipur after Islamists started to issue threats: Reports

Amidst the growing outrage over Kanhaiya Lal’s barbaric execution by two radical Islamists, reports have emerged that along with Kanhaiya Lal, two other persons from Udaipur are also on the radar of the Islamists. The reason being that these two men, one of them named Nitin Jain, a 35-year-old businessman dealing in tyres, had also posted on social media in support of ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. And like Kanhaiya Lal, they too were also arrested by police for social media post supporting Nupur Sharma, and later were released on bail. After the release, both of them are getting threats from Islamists.

Nitin Jain had fled Udaipur, even before Kanhaiya Lal’s murder, since he too had been receiving death threats over his social media posts. His family is now concerned for his safety in the wake of Kanhaiya Lal’s brutal killing.

Notably, after executing the murder, the two Islamists, who had identified themselves as Mohammed Riyaz Akhatari and Mohammed Gos shared a video boasting about the murder. They allegedly talked about killing several other Hindus in the video, specifically someone who lived in Sector 11. Now, according to a report by Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar, Nitin Jain, the 35-year-old Hindu businessman, was the person living in Udaipur’s sector 11 who the Islamists threatened with a similar fate.

Nitin’s father has told the media that the Dhanmandi police station officials had also booked his son for a post he shared on June 7 in support of Nupur Sharma. He was also subsequently arrested. After he was released on bail, he too had started receiving death threats from Islamists, which compelled him to flee Udaipur.

According to reports, on June 9, 2022, three people had reportedly arrived at Nitin’s tyre shop in Udaipur’s Govardhan Vilas area and enquired about him to his staff, who told the trio that Nitin had not come to the shop. They had left abruptly, only to return a few days later on June 16, again searching for Nitin Jain. This time too, Nitin’s staff informed that he hadn’t come to the shop, so they returned.

Later it was discovered that Nitin was only being searched because of his post endorsing Nupur Sharma. After that, Nitin stopped going to his shop. Later, he left Udaipur, fearing being killed by Islamists.

Since Kanhaiya Lal’s murder, Nitin’s family has been living in fear. Nitin Jain’s father told the media that he did not want anyone to know what transpired with his son that’s why they did not even approach the police. He said the family feared that they would harm his son if they reported the threats. “We did not even report the incident to the police. After Kanhaiya Lal’s murder, my son’s name has also come to the fore. The superintendent of police Manoj Kumar has taken cognisance of the matter and has asked the SP to provide the local SHO with the relevant instructions based on the information the police have gathered,” said Nitin Jain’s petrified father.

He confirmed that none of the seven persons that came to enquire about his son was the people who killed the Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal.

Besides the deceased Kanhaiya Lal and absconding Nitin Jain, the Dhanmandi police station in Udaipur had also detained another person for posting in support of Nupur Sharma. According to reports, this third person has also been regularly receiving death threats from Islamists.

Udaipur Police negligence resulted in the death of Kanhaiya Lal

It may be recalled, that on June 28, a Hindu man named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered in Udaipur, Rajasthan, over an alleged post in favour of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The post was allegedly made by accident from Kanhaiya Lal’s phone by his 8-years-old son while playing a video game. Earlier Kanhaiya Lal was arrested for making the post after his neighbour Nazim filed a complaint about the same.

After getting released on bail, Kanhaiya Lal started to receive threats. He was threatened not to open his tailoring shop. Kanhaiya Lal had approached Police for legal action against those who were threatening him and requested Police protection so that he could open the shop.

However, the police did nothing to restrain those who were threatening him and didn’t provide security to Kanhaiya. The police had called them and made them sign a compromise agreement. Kanhaiya Lal then 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.

On the 7th day, when he opened his shop, he was brutally murdered by two Islamists identified as Mohammed Riyaz Akhtar and Mohammed Gos. Notably, Kanhaiya Lal’s photograph, address and other information were distributed by Nazim and others. They had urged their community members to kill Kanhaiya Lal if they see him in the open or if he opened his shop.

‘Tamil Nadu man Raj Mohammad issued bomb threats to RSS offices because he was angry over Hijab issue and Gyanvapi case’: UP ATS

OpIndia Staff
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‘Tamil Nadu man Raj Mohammad issued bomb threats to RSS offices because he was angry over Hijab issue and Gyanvapi case’: UP ATS

The Tamilnadu youth Raj Mohammad, who was arrested on June 7 for threatening to blow up the RSS offices in Lucknow, Gonda, and in 4 places of Karnataka was radicalized online and inspired by Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, as per the officials from UP ATS conducting the investigation. The Gyanvapi issue in UP and the hijab row in Karnataka, according to ATS officials questioning Raj Mohammad, was the prime reason for his threat to blow up RSS headquarters.

According to a report by the Times of India, Additional Director General of Police, ATS, Naveen Arora said Mohammed is a ‘highly radicalized’ young man who used to study and follow jihadi literature. He said, “We have got a forensic examination conducted on his mobile phone recovered from his possession, reports of which are awaited.” The officers also told that the WhatsApp and other chats retrieved by the cyber unit of the ATS revealed that Raj Mohammad was in touch with some suspicious groups in Lebanon and Syria. According to ATS sources, Mohammed believed that he was the messianic person who would banish injustice and evil from the earth.

Officers further disclosed that when asked why he threatened to place bombs exclusively in the states of Karnataka and UP, the accused said he was angry that Muslim girls were not permitted to wear the hijab in Karnataka schools. He was also aggravated by the Gyanvapi issue in Uttar Pradesh. Raj Mohammad told the authorities that he used the internet to identify the locations and office holders for the RSS before sending messages on WhatsApp. The ATS officers said, “Some of them accepted the link sent to join his group, while others did not.”

All other contacts who were frequently in touch with the accused are being traced and the ATS will interrogate them as well. According to senior ATS officials, the investigations so far have revealed that from 2018 to 2021, the accused Raj Mohammad was also a member of the Popular Front of India. A diploma student in the local government institute, Raj Mohammed was picked up from the Thirukokarnam police station area on June 7.

An FIR was filed with the Madiaon police by Neelakanth Tiwari of Aliganj claiming that he had received a link from an unknown number that was an invitation to a WhatsApp group. He received three messages about bombing six locations when he joined the group. Raj Mohammad, a resident of the Pudukodi district of Tamil Nadu, was arrested by the state police based on the information provided by the Uttar Pradesh ATS. The UP ATS team had brought the accused to Lucknow on transit remand to interrogate.

Big surprise in Maharashtra politics: Eknath Shinde to be the next CM, to take oath today evening

OpIndia Staff
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Big surprise in Maharashtra politics: Eknath Shinde to be the next CM, to take oath today evening

In a massive twist in the ongoing political drama Maharashtra, BJP has decided that it will not lead the new government in the state. Making a surprise announcement at a press conference, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis declareed Eknath Shinde will be the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Fadnavis has declared support of the Bhartiya Janta Party MLAs to rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde’s faction to form the government.

During the Press Conference where Eknath Shinde was also present, the BJP leader announced that Eknath Shinde will be swearing-in as the Chief Minister of Maharshtra at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai today evening. The function will be an in-house ceremony to be led by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. On Thursday, Eknath Shinde will be the only minister who will be taking the oath, announced Fadnavis.

The former Maharashtra CM further announced that he will not be part of the government. The Eknath Shinde cabinet will be expanded later after the constituent parties select their MLAs to become ministers in the new government, and after that they will take oath in a swearing in ceremony to be held later.

“This is the battle of ideas, this is the battle of Hindutva. And hence we decided to whole-heartedly support Eknath Shinde who parted ways with the MVA government,” Fadnavis said. He further added that once the swearing ceremony is done today, the Shinde group, alongside the BJP and other independents will negotiate the further expansion and distribution of ministerial portfolios.

Eknath Shinde had a long discussion with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Thursday. His entourage of Rebel MLAs are stationed in Goa after returning from Guwahati on Wednesday. As per the numbers, The BJP has 106 MLAs and additionally with the Shinde faction which has 40 Shiv Sena MLAs plus 10 independents, the total figure becomes 156. The required half-way number to form a stake for the government in Maharashtra Assembly is 144.

Thanking BJP for offering the CM’s post to him, Eknath Shinde said, “BJP has over 100 MLAs but despite that Devendra Fadnavis didn’t take the post of CM. I express my gratitude to him along with PM Modi, Amit Shah & other BJP leaders that they showed generosity & made Balasaheb’s Sainik the CM of the state”.

‘I am a Hindu… I won’t speak the truth, don’t kill us’: Hindu vendors in Karnataka hold poster campaign to show solidarity with Kanhaiya Lal

OpIndia Staff
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‘I am a Hindu… I won’t speak the truth, don’t kill us’: Hindu vendors in Karnataka hold poster campaign to show solidarity with Kanhaiya Lal

On Thursday, June 30, Hindu vendors in Mysuru, Karnataka launched a poster campaign to show solidarity with the deceased Kanhaiya Lal Teli and protest against his barbaric killing. The Hindu tailor was brutally beheaded in broad daylight by two rabid Islamists on June 28 in Rajasthan’s Udaipur city for allegedly supporting Nupur Sharma. 

In snippets shared by Times now, the Hindu shopkeepers are seen holding placards with slogans like, “I am a Hindu and do not take my life”, “We will not speak the truth. My family depends on me” and “I won’t speak the truth, won’t stand in support of people who do it, I am poor, My family is dependent on me, Do not Kill us.” Many irate Hindu vendors in Mysuru, Karnataka have stuck similar posters outside their shops to protest against the rising intolerance against Hindus in the country that claimed the life of the Hindu tailor.

On June 28, a Hindu tailor was beheaded in broad daylight by two Muslim men in Udaipur’s Dhan Mandi area of Bhoot Mahal for putting social media status in support of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. After executing the murder, the two Islamists, who identified themselves as Mohammed Riyaz Akhatari and another as Mohammed shared the video of the murder.

The barbaric killing of the Hindu man has outraged the Hindus, who have taken to the streets in various parts of the country to protest against the ISIS-style execution of Kanhaiya Lal Teli by the two Islamists. On June 29, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) staged a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

While some angry protestors condemned Rajasthan’s Congress government for its apathy, some demanded the public execution of the Muslim assailants, while some demanded a ban on the holy book that teaches to kill.

Many of the protesters were arrested by the Delhi police. Police took them to the police station in DTC buses. Apart from the protest at Jantar Mantar, many other Hindu organizations protested at different places against the brutal murder. A big crowd of Hindus also gathered and protested in front of the Rajasthan House on the Prithviraj Road.

In Udaipur, a large group of people joined the last journey of Kanhaiya Lal Teli. While in Jammu and Kashmir, members of Dogra front staged protests, demanding justice for the victim. Similar protests took place in several other places across the country.

On the day Alt News’ Zubair deleted 28 tweets, Pratik Sinha also deleted 19 tweets

OpIndia Staff
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On the day Alt News’ Zubair deleted 28 tweets, Pratik Sinha also deleted 19 tweets

On June 20, Alt News co-founder Pratik Sinha had deleted 19 tweets from his official Twitter handle, ‘Free_Thinker’. It was the same day when netizens had started digging hinduphobic tweets of both Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair and Sinha. On that day, Zubair deleted 28 tweets from his verified Twitter handle, Zoo_Bear.

Pratik deleted 19 tweets on the day Zubair had deleted 28 tweets. Souce: Social Blade

Which tweets were deleted?

It is unclear which tweets were deleted by Pratik on June 20. However, it is noteworthy that since netizens started pointing out the duo’s hinduphobic tweets, their Twitter activity has decreased. While Zubair deleted his Facebook page, both of them had reduced posting content on Twitter.

If we look at the 30-day stats of their tweets, Zubair, at one point in June, had published over 200 Tweets. That was the time when he was running a smear campaign against BJP’s former spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Notably, on June 4, Zubair deleted 15 tweets, and on June 14, he deleted four tweets. However, the drastic step of deleting over 100 Tweets came only after he was arrested.

30-day details of Zubair’s Twitter account. Souce: Social Blade

Similarly, in the case of Pratik, on June 4, he deleted four tweets, and on the next day, five tweets went missing from his profile. He had been consistently posting 8-10 tweets every day till June 20. After that, he did not post more than five tweets except on the day Zubair was arrested.

30-day details of Pratik’s Twitter account. Souce: Social Blade

OpIndia had reported that over 128 tweets had gone missing from Zubair’s Twitter account in a matter of days. While 28 tweets were deleted on June 20, the remaining hundred tweets were deleted from June 27 to June 29, out of which 88 were deleted while he was in Police custody.

The sudden increase in followers count of Zubair

It is also noteworthy that during the time he was dog-whistling Nupur, he was gaining followers anywhere between 1,500 to 26,000 on a daily basis from June 6 to June 15. On June 6, he gained over 26,000 followers, and on June 7, he gained over 10,000 new followers. After that, the new follower count dropped under 1,000.

On June 6 Zubair gained over 26,000 followers. Source: Social Blade

On the day he was in Police custody, over 24,000 new handles followed him on Twitter. A person who gets less than 1,000 followers daily suddenly gained thousands of followers daily for over ten days in a month.

On June 28, the day he was in Police custody, Zubair gained over 24,000 followers. Source: Social Blade

Police to investigate ‘social media brigade’

A Police officer investigating Zubair’s case said that Police would investigate the ‘social media brigade that Zubair has’. The Police officer said, “It appears that his tweets are planned and pushed in a concerted manner. They are amplified by an army of people. If these are bots, then who is paying these bots. We are digging deep into this network that amplifies his tweets.”

Mohammed Zubair moves to Delhi High Court against remand order, Police takes him to Bengaluru to recover his laptop, hard disk

OpIndia Staff
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Mohammed Zubair moves to Delhi High Court against remand order, Police takes him to Bengaluru to recover his laptop, hard disk

On Thursday, Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of leftist propaganda portal Alt News moved to the Delhi High Court challenging the police remand granted by the Patiala House Court to the Delhi Police Special Cell. The Court sent him to four days of Police remand after it noted that he was to be taken to his Bengaluru residence for further investigations.

Reportedly, the Delhi Police Special Cell flew Zubair to Bengaluru to recover his laptop and other electronic devices which he used for uploading objectionable posts on social media platforms. According to the reports, Zubair earlier had refused to hand over his electronic devices and had formatted them. The Police said that despite repeatedly asking for the devices, Zubair had refused to hand his devices over to the Police.

One can see visuals of police escorting Zubair at his residence in Bengaluru.

The Police stated that Zubair was deliberately using religion to outrage a religious group. “He was doing this to gain popularity,” the police was quoted. The Delhi Police Special Cell also added that Zubair was acting evasive and was not cooperating with the Police officials.

Earlier in the Delhi High Court, Zubair through his counsel Vrinda Grover had refused to hand over his laptop and other electronic items to the Police saying that his laptop and his phone storage were his personal things. “They want my laptop only to harass me, only because I have been challenging what certain people have been saying, and some of those people are in power,” he had argued.

The Delhi Police Special Cell who flew Zubair to Bengaluru today stated that after recovering Zubair’s laptop, it will be sent for forensic examination at CFSL, Rohini. The Police also said that they will try to access the hard disk memory of Zubair’s laptop and will check edited posts posted by him on social media.

Notably, from June 27 to June 29, 100 tweets went missing from the Twitter account (@zoo_bear) of the co-founder of the propaganda website AltNews, Mohammed Zubair. 88 of the 100 tweets went missing on June 28 when Zubair was in Police custody. Earlier on June 20, he had deleted 28 tweets.

While seeking remand, Delhi Police categorically said that Zubair had deleted electronic evidence and presented a blank phone when asked to produce the electronic devices. It is virtually not possible for Zubair to access any electronic device while in Police custody, and it is unclear how the tweets were deleted from his account and by whom.

Mohammed Zubair was arrested on June 28 by the Delhi Police for hurting religious sentiments via derogatory social media posts targeting Hinduism. He was booked under Sections 153A and 295 of the Indian Penal Code. The FIR was based on a tweet by Twitter user @balajikijaiin where the user had shared a screenshot of an old tweet by Zubair in which he had mocked Lord Hanuman. In the tweet, @balajikijaiin had tagged the Delhi Police and had asked them to take action against Zubair for hurting the sentiments of Hindus with his derogatory post against Lord Hanuman.

‘Never asked our CM to resign, hurt for no action against Sanjay Raut’: Says rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar

OpIndia Staff
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‘Never asked our CM to resign, hurt for no action against Sanjay Raut’: Says rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar

The rebel MLAs in the Eknath Shinde camp held a press conference on 30th June 2022. This was the first media interaction by the rebel camp of Shiv Sena after Maharashtra’s chief minister Uddhav Thackeray resigned on June 29. In the press conference, Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar said that they are the real Shiv Sena as they have the majority of MLAs. He also said that they are not revolting against Uddhav Thackeray, and they were only against the alliance with Congress and NCP.

Addressing the media, the faction’s spokesperson Deepak Kesarkar said, “Uddhav Thackeray was and is the leader of Shiv Sena. He had said that ‘if any of the MLAs want to become chief minister, then he should come ahead and meet me and say so, then I will resign.’ It must be noted that none of the MLAs, whom the Shiv Sena spokesperson called traitors, has asked Uddhav Thackeray to resign. All we were asking him was to break the alliance with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party and join hands with Bharatiya Janata Party. But, when Sharad Pawar intervened in this situation, the deputy speaker Narhari Zirval sent us the disqualification notice. This step caused us to take the issue to the court and the legal fight started. When the court ruled to hold a session of the state legislative assembly for a trust vote as ordered by the honorable Governor, Uddhav Thackeray resigned because he knew that the Maha Vikas Aghadi does not have the numbers. We did not ask him to resign in this way.”

Deepak Kesarkar also said that MLAs in the Eknath Shinde camp are hurt by the remarks made by Sanjay Raut. He said, “We are hurt because no action is taken by the party against Sanjay Raut who used abusive language for us, called the elected MLAs traitors, threatened us and our families. We did not leave the party. We are still in Shiv Sena. I urge Sanjay Raut not to use such words for us. We have not betrayed anyone. We asked people to vote us as an alliance of BJP and Shiv Sena alliance and now the same government will be formed for which the people have voted.”

Deepak Kesarkar said, “We still love and respect Uddhav Thackeray. Legislature party Shiv Sena within the house is one thing and Shiv Sena as a national-level political party is a separate thing. No one is claiming to have owned the party here. Eknath Shinde is Shiv Sena’s leader in the assembly house. We gave some time to Uddhav Thackeray to decide and go with the BJP. He did not. Then Eknath Shinde promised to BJP on our behalf in the capacities of our leader in the house. When you hold talks with such a big party, you don’t betray. Eknath Shinde is Anand Dighe’s disciple. He will not turn back now. He will hold talks with Devendra Fadnavis today for making a new government in Maharashtra.”

Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde has left Goa and reached Mumbai where he held talks with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. Before leaving for Mumbai, Eknath Shinde said, “We are not happy with what happened. But what can we do? We had repeatedly told Uddhav Thackeray about this. All the 50 MLAs have elected me as their leader and I will make the decisions on their behalf. All of us want to continue with the Hindutva ideology of respected Shiv Sena Supremo Balasaheb Thackeray and Dharmveer Anand Dighe. I will meet the Governor first. Then I will meet Devendra Fadnavis and other leaders of the BJP. We will communicate the further decisions after the meeting. I will come back to Goa.”

Eknath Shinde met Devendra Fadnavis at his residence in Mumbai, and both are going to meet the governor to stake claim to form the government. It is being said that Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde may take oath today at 7 pm as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister. Rest ministers will take oath later after both parties conduct detailed discussions and inevitable negotiations on the issue.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot claims Udaipur beheading an ‘act of terror’ and ‘not communal’ despite video confession of murderers

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot claims Udaipur beheading an ‘act of terror’ and ‘not communal’ despite video confession of murderers

On Thursday, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot reached Udaipur to meet deceased Kanhaiya Lal’s family who was killed by two Islamic assailants over his post in support of Nupur Sharma. While talking to the media, Gehlot glossed over the Islamist communal crime as an ‘act of terror’ with connections outside the country.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot was seen patting his back upon the ‘swift’ arrest of the murderers of Kanhaiya Lal, a Hindu tailor who was killed in his own shop on June 28 in Udaipur. Talking to the media, Gehlot said, “We found out within one night that this case has connections internationally. This tells us that this incident is an act of terror. This has nothing to do with two religions fighting with each other.”

However, the killers themselves had done no such ambiguity or whitewashing. They had made it perfectly clear that they were killing Kanhaiya Lal ‘in the name of Allah’, because (by sharing a post in support of Nupur Sharma) he had insulted Prophet Muhammad, as per them, and had added that anyone who insults Prophet Muhammad has to be beheaded.

The two killers of Kanhaiya Lal, Mohammed Riyaz Akhtar and Ghous Mohammed who were nabbed by Rajasthan Police had published a video taking responsibility for the crime, in the name of ‘Allah’. In the video, the assailants could be seen saying, “We have chopped off the head from the one from Udaipur. Oh, Allah, we will live for you and die for you.”

The murderers further issued a threat against PM Modi, when they said, “Oh Narendra Modi, listen, you’ve started the fire and will we extinguish it. I hope this knife reaches your neck as well, Inshallah. Oh, the people of Udaipur, chant, “Gustakh e Rasool ki Sazah, Sar tan see Juda (The one who insults Allah has the only Punishment, which is the separation of the head from the body).”

Deceased Kanhaiya Lal had shared a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma from his mobile. However, after this, Kanhaiyalal was arrested by the Dhanmandi police station officials in Udaipur. He continued receiving death threats over the post after his release, after which he had appealed to the police for protection but the police did not take him seriously. Instead, the local police had made Kanhaiya Lal and some local Muslims sign a ‘compromise’ document and had sought to put the matter to rest.

CM Ashok Gehlot who was seeing glorifying the ‘swift’ action of the Police against the perpetrators, also made a bizarre and problematic claim about the nature of the violence. By calling it merely an act of ‘terror’ with international linkages, Gehlot whitewashed the fact that the incident was an Islamic act of terror. The religious angle in the case cannot be subsumed as admittedly it was revenge for the supposed ‘blasphemy’ committed by Kanhaiya Lal in supporting Nupur Sharma.

Moreover, with the assassination of Kanhaiya Lal, the Islamist fanatics have given a signal that they would murder anyone who is declared a blasphemer. Gehlot’s whitewashing of the Islamist violent act has hence come unwarranted.

UP: Girl held captive for 6 months and raped by one Zakir, was forced to convert to Islam

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Girl held captive for 6 months and raped by one Zakir, was forced to convert to Islam

On Thursday, June 30, a 20-year-old woman filed a complaint against her neighbour Zakir and his two accomplices with the Majhgawan police in the Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh. She alleged that Zakir had kidnapped her with the help of his two aides, held her captive for six months, and had sexually exploited her during that time. She has further stated that Zakir coerced her into converting to Islam.

According to TV9Hindi, the 20-year-old girl is a resident of Majhgawan village located in Rath tehsil of Hamirpur district in Uttar Pradesh. She had gone missing six months ago and suddenly returned home yesterday. After coming back, she narrated her ordeal to her family who then approached the police to lodge a complaint against Zakir and his two accomplices Chandu and Sagir Mohammad. They accused the trio of abducting, abusing, physically assaulting and forcing her to convert to Islam.

As per the report, the police had been on the lookout for the girl since she suddenly went missing six months ago. The family had lodged a missing complaint with the Majhgawan police. Yesterday, she returned home, after she managed to flee Zakir’s captivity.

She informed her parents how Zakir and his two accomplices, Chandu and Sagir Mohammad kidnapped her. They then sedated her and took her to Gurugram in an unconscious state. The trio also reportedly stole Rs 10,000 cash and 50 gram of gold jewellery from the victim’s house.

After taking her to Gurgaon, they locked her up in a dingy room. During these six months, she was raped several times by the accused Zakir, who also kept pressurising her to convert to Islam. When she resisted, Zakir reportedly beat her up and also threatened to kill her.

Yesterday, the girl managed to flee and return to her hometown. After coming home, she told her parents about her ordeal, who then approached the police.

TV9Hindi quoted Majhgawan police station in-charge, Pandhari Saroj, as saying that a case has been filed and investigation would begin only after completing the victim’s medical examination.

Meanwhile, speaking to OpIndia, the circle officer of Majhgawan, Hamirpur, confirmed receiving a complaint against Zakir and his accomplices. He said that an investigation has been launched into the case based on the complaint given by the victim. The officer told OpIndia that Zakir, at first befriended the girl and lured her under the pretext of marriage and then abducted her and raped her. He also forced her to adopt Islam. The victim approached the police when the accused refused to marry her. She later also learnt that Zakir was previously married to someone else.

He said that the victim is currently in the police station and will be soon taken for her medical examination. Based on her complaint, medical reports and various other information which the police are trying to gather, the future course of action would be decided upon, said the Majhgawan CO.

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