News Analysis India

Tag: Tailor

  • NIA makes eighth arrest in Udaipur tailor murder case, 19-year-old man held

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A 19-year-old man, who allegedly played an “important role” in the conspiracy to kill a tailor in Rajasthan’s Udaipur last month, has been arrested from the state, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) official said on Friday.

    Mohammad Javed, a resident of Sindhi Sarkar Ki Haweli, Kheradiwala, was the eighth accused arrested in connection with the gruesome killing of Kanhaiya Lal by two assailants armed with sharp-edged weapons at his shop in Udaipur’s Maldas street, a spokesperson of the NIA said.

    “Mohammad Javed, who was arrested on Thursday, played an important role in the conspiracy to kill Lal by conducting reconnaissance and passing on the information about the victim’s presence at the shop to the main killer, Riyaz, prior to the attack,” he said.

    Lal was killed with a cleaver inside his tailoring shop on June 28 and the NIA took over the case the next day.

    Earlier, seven accused, including the main culprits, were arrested during separate raids on June 29, July 1, July 4 and July 9.

    The gruesome attack by Riaz Akhtari on the tailor was recorded on a mobile phone by Ghouse Mohammad and the video was posted online. In another video, the duo said they hacked Lal to death to avenge an alleged insult to Islam. Both were arrested within hours of the killing.

    NEW DELHI: A 19-year-old man, who allegedly played an “important role” in the conspiracy to kill a tailor in Rajasthan’s Udaipur last month, has been arrested from the state, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) official said on Friday.

    Mohammad Javed, a resident of Sindhi Sarkar Ki Haweli, Kheradiwala, was the eighth accused arrested in connection with the gruesome killing of Kanhaiya Lal by two assailants armed with sharp-edged weapons at his shop in Udaipur’s Maldas street, a spokesperson of the NIA said.

    “Mohammad Javed, who was arrested on Thursday, played an important role in the conspiracy to kill Lal by conducting reconnaissance and passing on the information about the victim’s presence at the shop to the main killer, Riyaz, prior to the attack,” he said.

    Lal was killed with a cleaver inside his tailoring shop on June 28 and the NIA took over the case the next day.

    Earlier, seven accused, including the main culprits, were arrested during separate raids on June 29, July 1, July 4 and July 9.

    The gruesome attack by Riaz Akhtari on the tailor was recorded on a mobile phone by Ghouse Mohammad and the video was posted online. In another video, the duo said they hacked Lal to death to avenge an alleged insult to Islam. Both were arrested within hours of the killing.

  • Udaipur murder: Thousands take part in rally against beheading of tailor

    By PTI

    UDAIPUR: Thousands of people on Thursday took part in a protest rally here against the gruesome murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal.

    The ‘Sarv Hindu Samaj’ rally was called by Hindu organisations and was held peacefully from the Town Hall to the collectorate with permission of the district administration.

    Additional DG Dinesh MN, who is camping in the city, said permission was given for the rally and curfew was relaxed on the route of the march.

    Though it was called a silent march, slogans in support of Hindu religion were raised by some members. Some people were also seen carrying saffron flags.

    ALSO READ: Home Ministry directs NIA to probe international links in tailor’s beheading

    The tailor was attacked Tuesday afternoon by two men who posted a video of the brutal attack with a cleaver on social media and claimed that they had avenged an insult to Islam.

    The Centre and the state government have termed the Udaipur murder as a terror incident. The Union Home Ministry has directed the NIA to “take over” the investigation.

    “The involvement of any organisation and international links will be thoroughly investigated,” it had said. The autopsy report showed 26 injury marks, including those caused by a sharp-edged weapon, on the tailor’s body, police sources had said. Curfew remained clamped in the city and heavy deployment of police has been made.

    ALSO READ: Udaipur murder meant to spread terror, both accused booked under UAPA, says Gehlot

    Two Additional Director Generals, one Deputy IG and other senior officials are camping in the city to monitor the situation.

  • Tailor murdered over ‘insult to Islam’; curfew in Udaipur areas, prohibitory orders across Rajasthan 

    By PTI

    UDAIPUR: Two men with a cleaver murdered a tailor here, saying in a video post on social media that they are avenging an insult to Islam and triggering communal tension in the Rajasthan city, part of which was placed under curfew.

    Within hours, prohibitory orders banning the assembly of people were imposed across the state for a month and mobile internet services suspended for the next 24 hours.

    At 8 pm, curfew was declared till further orders in seven police station areas of Udaipur city.

    ALSO READ: Man beheaded in Rajasthan for supporting suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma in social media post

    The men who allegedly carried out the daylight murder posted three videos online admitting to the crime and were soon arrested.

    In a video clip, one of the purported assailants declared that they had “beheaded” the man and went on to threaten Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying their knife will get him as well.

    Indirectly, the assailants also referred to Nupur Sharma, the BJP leader suspended from the party over a remark on Prophet Mohammad.

    Kanhaiya Lal, the tailor, was recently arrested by the local police over some remarks made on social media by him.

    ALSO READ: Union Home Ministry dispatches team of anti-terror agency NIA to Udaipur 

    A BJP leader said the victim feared for his life and had sought police protection, but the authorities did not act on his appeal.

    The assailants entered his shop in the city’s Dhan Mandi area posing as customers.

    As the tailor took the measurements of one of them — who later identified himself as Riaz Akhtari – attacked him with a cleaver, nearly severing his neck.

    The other man shot the brutal murder with his mobile phone.

    The two men fled from the scene and later uploaded this clip on social media.

    In another video, the alleged assailant said they “beheaded” the tailor and threatened the prime minister for lighting “this fire”.

    Yet another provocative video was recorded on June 17, in which Akhtari said he will post it the day he carries out the murder.

    He asked other members of the community to continue with similar attacks.

    As the videos circulated on social media, tension escalated.

    Shopkeepers in local markets downed shutters.

    Shopkeepers stopped police from taking away the body, saying they will allow the removal of the corpse only after the murderers are arrested and compensation — Rs 50 lakh and a government job — given to the victim’s family.

    On Twitter, CM Ashok Gehlot appealed for calm and asked people not to share the videos.

    “The guilty will not be spared. The entire police team is working on it with full alertness. I can imagine the anger which is there among people due to the murder. We are taking action accordingly,” he told reporters in Jodhpur.

    Udaipur Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar also promised strict action.

    “A brutal murder has happened. Broadly, it seems to be a planned murder. We are discussing the demands put forth by the family members. Strict action will be taken against the criminals. I appeal to people to maintain peace,” he said.

    Gehlot said there is communal tension in the country and the prime minister should address the people.

    He said both Hindus and Muslims are worried.

    “It is more impactful if the prime minister speaks. I believe that the prime minister should address the country on this occasion and should make an appeal that we will not tolerate violence at any cost. What is the problem in saying so?” he said.

    BJP state chief Satish Poonia targeted the Congress government in Rajasthan, saying that the murder was the result of its “appeasement policy”.

    He said those seen in the video had threatened the victim on June 17.

    “The victim had asked for security but it was not given by the police,” he claimed, adding that this indicated the apathy of the state’s Congress government.

    The state unit of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) made the same claim.

    “The situation in Rajasthan is such that Hindus are being attacked and murdered at many places. It is because of the politics of appeasement of CM Ashok Gehlot,” Poonia claimed.

    Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria also condemned the incident and said he was reaching Udaipur Tuesday night.

    The prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC, however, do not allow the gathering of more than three people.

    About 600 more policemen, including five companies of the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary, were sent to Udaipur, officials said.

    Senior police officers were also rushed to the city.

    Gehlot said the trial will be fast-tracked under the state’s “case officer scheme”.