PremiumEarlier on Tuesday, just a few hours after Kanhaiya Lal reopened his shop, two men arrived posing as customers. He started measuring one of them and suddenly, he was attacked with a giant cleaver while the other man recorded the gruesome incident.
Listen to this article |
The two men, who beheaded a tailor on camera in Rajasthan's Udaipur and which rocked the nation, had tried to flee the city on a motorcycle.
Earlier on Tuesday, just a few hours after Kanhaiya Lal reopened his shop, two men arrived posing as customers. He started measuring one of them and suddenly, he was attacked with a giant cleaver while the other man recorded the gruesome incident.
In a video shared on Twitter, the accused were seen trying to escape the police but the police personnel overpowered them. Soon after more police personnel came to spot in other vehicles to nab Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad. The accused Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad sped a motorcycle on the highway on the outskirts of Udaipur concealing their face with helmets. However, the duo were intercepted by police.
The beheading of tailor Kanhaiya Lal for allegedly posting content in support of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nupur Sharma, had sparked public outrage across the country.
On 29 June, Kanhaiya Lal was cremated in the presence of a large number of people who raised slogans demanding capital punishment for the accused. His last rites were performed amidst heavy police security.
Reacting to the horrific and brutal killing of her husband, his wife Yashoda demanded that the culprits should be hanged to death.
"We demand those people who murdered him (Kanhaiya Lal) should be hanged to death, we demand their death sentence and need justice," said the wife of Kanhaiya Lal.
"Kanhaiya Lal had returned to his shop after many days as he was receiving death threats. For the last 10-15 days, he was getting life threats. They said that they will kill him. People used to come both at home and his shop to threaten him. He was threatened over the phone as well," she recalled how her husband was getting death threats.
Notably, Kanhaiya had also filed a complaint with the police about threats.
A relative of the deceased demanded capital punishment for the murderers saying, "The accused should get punished, otherwise these people will get encouraged to commit more such crimes. The accused should be given such a punishment that no one dares to commit such an incident again."
"We want that either their (murderers) encounter should happen or they should be hanged to death. It is needed to instil fear in them," said Kanhaiya Lal's son.
The two men seen in the video hacking the tailor, were arrested last night.
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the investigation of his brutal murder.
The anti-terror agency has filed a First Information Report (FIR) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act as well as various sections of the Indian Penal Code, a senior NIA official told ANI requesting anonymity.
A four-member NIA team under the supervision of an Inspector General and a Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-rank officers have already taken details of the incident after reaching Udaipur last night. The NIA team has started investigating from all possible angles.
The incident took place in Udaipur's Maldas area. Soon after committing the crime, the two accused posted a video on social media boasting about the "beheading" and threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life as well, police said.
The two accused were arrested within hours of the incident. The assailants identified themselves in the video as Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad. In the video, Riyaz was seen attacking 47-year-old Kanhaiya Lal with a sharp-edged weapon while the other, Ghouse, recorded the crime on his mobile phone.
The victim reportedly had recently shared a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma-- former BJP spokesperson who had made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad.
Riyaz and Ghouse, both residents of Udaipur, were arrested from Bhim in the Rajsamand district.
Following the murder, local markets in the area were shut as the traders demanded justice for the victim.
Internet services are suspended in Udaipur and a curfew has been imposed.
A statewide alert has also been issued to all SPs and IGs to increase the mobility of forces and to maintain officers on the ground.
Meanwhile, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said that the Congress' appeasement politics is bringing "Talibani culture" in the country.
Speaking to ANI, he said, "The incident is very shocking. It was done to spread terror. The video of the incident is very disturbing. This is the emergence of Talibani culture and Congress is giving protection to it. This is happening because of Congress' appeasement politics."
"Taliban forces also came in Jammu and Kashmir because of Congress. The Taliban culture coming in Bengal is also happening due to the appeasement of Congress and TMC. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot himself has said that there is an international link in the Udaipur murder case. Now, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing the matter," he added.
(With inputs from ANI)