Earlier, the NIA has stated the motive was not only to limited to brutally killing Ramalingam but also to create communal tensions. The NIA had even stated that the murder of Ramalingam was a terrorist act.
Just as beating up someone from another faith and forcing them to chant 'Jai Shree Ram' is wrong and should be punishable so is beating up someone and calling them 'kaafirs'.