The gruesome murder of a tailor in Rajasthan's Udaipur on Tuesday has sparked outrage across the state. The tailor, identified as Kanhaiya Lal, was murdered by two men who chopped his head off and later recorded a video admitting to killing the man over a social media post in support of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
A video showed the two men entering a tailor's shop in Udaipur and proceeding to attack him with knives. In a separate video posted by the two men, the duo is heard admitting to the murder and threatening PM Narendra Modi.
In a third video, recorded on June 17, which soon emerged after the murder on Tuesday, one of the two men is heard describing his intentions of carrying out an act similar to what took place in Udaipur on Tuesday.
The accused were arrested on Tuesday night. They were caught from Rajsamand district's Bhim area, they said. Rajsamand is the neighbouring district of Udaipur. The arrested accused have been identified as Gaus Mohammed and Riyaz Ahmed.
Shopkeepers in Bhoot Mahal marketplace claimed the victim, Lal, had received threats after his post backing BJP leader Nupur Sharma and had reported it to police. "He feared for his life, so much so that he didn't open his shop for days. It was only around three days ago that he returned," said Mohan, a trader. Police said Lal had been arrested a fortnight ago on charges of incitement and remanded in judicial custody. He got bail around a week ago, an officer said.
Tension flared across Udaipur after the murder in broad daylight. Demonstrators took to the streets to protest against the violent act, prompting authorities to impose curfew in seven police station areas of the city. As the outrage over the incident spread, the Rajasthan government has banned internet services for 24 hours and has imposed section 144 of CrPC in all the districts for the next one month. Police are on high alert in every district of Rajasthan.
The Union Home Ministry has dispatched a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Udaipur to probe the incident.