Five persons accused of making a video of the Udaipur beheading and sharing it after which it went viral on social media spreading panic among the general public, were arrested by the Hanumangarh police.
The accused have been identified as Tarsem Puri (26), Mahavir Prasad (35), Rahmat Ali, Iqbal Hussain (36), and Pitambar Lal (21).
Hanumangarh Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh said on Monday that one Tarsem Puri was been arrested on the charge of editing photos and videos with illegal weapons on social media.
He further said that the other accused Mahavir Prasad and Rahmat Ali were arrested after they made the photo viral with another person’s licensed weapon on social media.
The accused Sirajuddin’s son Iqbal Hussain and another accused Pitambar Lal (21) were arrested yesterday for making the video of the Udaipur incident viral on social media, added Singh.
Meanwhile, the main accused in the murder of an Udaipur tailor – Riyaz Attari and Gaus Mohammad – are being interrogated about online groups propagating radicalisation that they were part of, and about their association with Karachi-based religious organisation Dawat-e-Islami.
The duo hacked to death tailor Kanhaiya Lal on June 28 in Udaipur, after which they shared a video claiming responsibility for the attack, and also threatened to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi, forcing the Centre to intervene and take over the murder investigation.
The tailor was beheaded by two men in Udaipur’s Maldas street area. The deceased had shared a social media post in support of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma a few days ago.
Four accused in the Udaipur murder case, including the prime accused Mohammad Riyaz and Ghouse Mohammad, have been sent to NIA custody till July 12.
Union Home Mnister Amit Shah on Monday held a meeting with National Investigation Agency (NIA) chief Dinkar Gupta during which was briefed on the findings about recent killings in Udaipur and Amravati.
Gupta joined as the new director general of the central agency last week, and has since been supervising the investigations in both the cases.
Federal investigators have a free hand in dealing with elements bent on fomenting sectarian violence in the country, Shah is said to have told the NIA chief during the meeting.
Investigators are probing a larger conspiracy, with possible involvement of people based abroad.
The central agency has already invoked laws that deal with terrorist activities against those who have been arrested for the murders.
Veterinary pharmacist Umesh Kolhe was also murdered in a similar fashion on June 21 over social media post supporting the controversial statements of now-suspended Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Prophet Mohammed.
Investigators are yet to ascertain if the incidents are connected, except the fact that the accused targeted people who supported Sharma’s statements.
On May 28, Sharma’s comments on Prophet Mohammed during a TV debate triggered domestic protests and an international outcry. On June 5, she was suspended as a spokesperson of the ruling BJP, while another leader, Naveen Jindal, was expelled for his derogatory statements on Islam.
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