Udaipur (Rajasthan): Internet services have been suspended for 24 hours in the entire Rajasthan and a curfew imposed in parts of Udaipur after tension prevailed in the state following a gruesome on-camera murder of a tailor in Udaipur. Though the killers have been arrested, police have formed a Special Investigation Team to probe the gruesome murder.
The two murderers posted a video on social media claiming to teach a lesson to the victim for putting up a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma. As per the police, the victim identified as Kanhaiyalal was attacked by a sharp-edged weapon inside his shop in the Dhan Mandi area of Udaipur. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media. The victim was hacked to death for supporting now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in a social media post over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammed. According to the police, the two accused allegedly met the tailor on the pretext of giving cloth measurements. The arrested Rafiq Mohammed and Abdul Jabbar, both the residents of Surajpole, Udaipur, were arrested hours after they committed the murder, police said.
As a precautionary measure, internet services were suspended across the state for 24 hours while Section 144 has been imposed for one month. In a gruesome video purportedly recorded by one of them, the tailor can be seen taking measurements of the other person. However, moments later, one of the two murderers pulls out a cleaver and attacks the tailor on his neck. In a second video, the two boast about the “beheading”. They then purportedly issue “a warning” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has appealed to the people to maintain peace. "I condemn the heinous murder in Udaipur. Strict action will be taken against all those involved in the crime and the police will go to the bottom of the case. I appeal to all the parties to maintain peace. Strictest punishment will be given to those involved in such a heinous crime," he said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed by Rajasthan police to investigate the case. The SIT, comprising SOG ADG Ashok Kumar Rathore, ATS IG Prafulla Kumar, one SP and an Additional SP, has been constituted to investigate the assassination.
Tension in Udaipur
After the murder, a large number of traders reached the spot and expressed strong condemnation against the heinous murder. Police also reached the spot after getting information about the incident. Angry traders closed their shops after the incident. Police have deployed around 600 personnel in the city while internet services have been suspended and a curfew imposed in the sensitive areas of the city.
Top officials of the administration and police are trying to convince them to remain calm and peaceful. The agitated people are continuously protesting and demanding police to catch the accused. "A statewide alert has been issued to all SPs & IGs to increase the mobility of forces and to maintain officers on the ground. We're assessing the law and order situation to take further decisions," ADG Law & Order, Rajasthan on Udaipur said.
"Two ADGPs from Jaipur, one more SP, and 600 additional police force have been sent to Udaipur," he said. Manoj Kumar, SP, Udaipur said the law and order situation was under control. "Some people were attempting to come out of the bylanes but were controlled. Curfew imposed in the nearby areas," he said.
'Gehlot government is running a jungle raj'
Rajasthan government was slammed by BJP who said the Gehlot government was running a "jungle raj". "The brutal murder of an innocent man in Rajasthan’s Udaipur shows that the Ashok Gehlot government is running a jungle raj. This is what happens when a dispensation makes appeasement its governance model. Reprehensible state of affairs," Union Minister and BJP leader Bhupender Yadav tweeted.
AIMIM Chief, Asaduddin Owaisi also condemned the incident and said there was no justification to it. "I condemn the gruesome murder in Udaipur Rajasthan. There can be no justification for it. Our party’s consistent stand is to oppose such violence. No one can take law in their own hands. We demand that the state govt takes the strictest possible action. Rule of law must be upheld," Owaisi tweeted.
Meanwhile, former J&K DGP Shesh Pal Vaid asked if it was Rajasthan or Afghanistan. "What has happened today in Udaipur may trigger serious communal riots. Govt of Rajasthan needs to act under the law most urgently & punish the duo perpetrators otherwise it will be failure of law & order machinery & the Union Govt needs to step in. Is It Rajasthan or Afghanistan?" Vaid tweeted.
