By Online Desk
UDAIPUR: Kanhaiya Lal, who was brutally killed by two men here, was cremated on Wednesday in the presence of a large number of people even as curfew remained clamped in parts of the city.
A large number of people gathered at Lal’s home in sector 14 here and raised slogans after his body was handed over to family members after postmortem.
People shouted slogans like ‘Bharat Mata ki Jay’ and ‘Kanhaiya Hum Sharminda Hain Tere Katil Jinda Hain’ while others carried saffron flags. Leader of opposition Gulab Chand Kataria also attended the funeral.
Lal’s wife Jasoda told reporters that Kanhaiya was scared and did not open his shop for six days due to the threat to his life. He was murdered as soon as he opened the shop, she said.
“We want that either their (murderers) encounter should happen or they should be hanged to death. It’s needed to instil fear in them,” Lal’s son told media.
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Lal, a tailor, was on Tuesday killed by two men who had posted videos online that said they were avenging an insult to Islam. The incident triggered stray cases of violence in Udaipur and curfew was clamped in seven police station areas of the city.
The Centre directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the probe into the brutal murder of a tailor in Udaipur where curfew remained clamped in seven police station areas while mobile Internet services were suspended across all 33 districts of Rajasthan following stray incidents of violence.
The Uttar Pradesh Police has stepped up vigil in its state. Police has also warned of strict action against anyone posting provocative posts on social media.
Pakitan-based terror links
Meanwhile, one of the two prime accused in the brutal killing had links with the Pakistan-based organisation Dawat-e-Islami and had visited Karachi in 2014, the Rajasthan Police chief said on Wednesday.
The police have detained three more people in connection with the killing so far, Director General of Police (DGP) M L Lather said at a press conference here.
ALSO READ | Tailor murder: Prime accused has links with Pak-based Dawat-e-Islami, visited Karachi, says DGP
Two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, allegedly hacked Kanhaiya Lal to death with a cleaver at his shop in Udaipur on Tuesday and posted videos online saying they are avenging an insult to Islam.
Muslim organisations condemn
Prominent Muslim organisations on Wednesday condemned the brutal killing, calling it “un-Islamic” and asserting that no person has the right to take law into one’s hands.
Bodies like All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind issued statements condemning the murder of Kanhaiya Lal by two men who had posted videos online that claimed they were avenging an insult to Islam.
Delhi Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari called the killing an “act of cowardice” and “an act against Islam”. Islam is a religion of “peace and tranquillity,” he said.
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In its statement, the AIMPLB said such acts were against the principles of Islam and that no one should take law in their hands.
“Insulting holy personalities of any religion is a serious crime. BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma made derogatory remarks about the holy Prophet of Islam, which is very sad for Muslims. The government not taking any action against Nupur Sharma is like rubbing salt on the wounds. But despite this, taking the law into one’s own hands and killing a person by declaring him a criminal is a condemnable act,” the statement issued on behalf of AIMPLB general secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani.
Condolences pour in
Similarly, the Working President of the ruling TRS in Telangana K T Rama Rao expressed shock over the brutal murder and favoured “most stringent punishment” to the culprits.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan came out against Madrassas and wondered whether young children were taught there that punishment for blasphemy is beheading.
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Union minister Anurag Thakur slammed the Ashok Gehlot dispensation in Rajasthan over the killing of a tailor in Udaipur, saying the Congress government remained a “mute spectator” as the party’s “internal rivalries” took a toll on the state’s law and order.
Markets to remain closed
Meanwhile, a traders’ body supported by the VHP and other Hindu groups has announced that markets in Jaipur will remain closed Thursday in protest against the murder of a tailor in Udaipur for allegedly insulting Islam.
The call was given by the Sanyukt Vyapar Mahasangh which is supported by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindu groups.
(With inputs from agencies)
