NEW DELHI: India’s anti-terror agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), is likely to take over the case of the gruesome killing of a Hindu tailor by two Muslim men in Rajasthan’s Udaipur on Tuesday.
An NIA team has left for Udaipur city where tailor Kanhaiya Lal was beheaded for sharing a post on social media in support of now-suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma, sources in the agency told The New Indian.
The two men, identified as Mohammed Rafiq and Abdul Jabbar, entered the victim’s shop in Dhan Mandi police station area and attacked him with a cleaver. One of the accused filmed the brutal killing and posted it online.
In the same video, they accepted to have killed Lal, brandished blood-stained weapons, and threatened to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The NIA will investigate whether the killers, called “terrorists” by many politicians and important public figures, have any links with any terror outfit, the sources cited above said, comparing the style of the killing with that of the Taliban.
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The NIA source further said that the team will reach Udaipur late on Tuesday night and will participate in the interrogation of the two men who were arrested by the Rajasthan Police from Rajsamand. They will also visit the crime scene.
The NIA will register a formal case once it finds any connection between the two assailants and any terror outfit.
One of the sources said the agency suspects a terror link in this case given the fact that the attackers had made three videos in the last two weeks.
“In the first video released on June 17, they threatened to behead those responsible for disrespecting Mohammad Prophet. Then they recorded the video of the brutal murder and third video of their confession of the crime and threat to kill the prime minister,” the source said.
The killer brandished their weapons without any remorse, the source said, which prompted the agency’s interest to probe whether they received training for such crimes.
He said that the team will also probe if there is a bigger conspiracy to target more people in the coming days.
ALSO READ: Two Men Behead Udaipur Tailor In Nupur Case; Arrested After Brag Video
Communal tensions are simmering in Udaipur. Soon after the killing, markets were shut and several vehicles were set afire in protest. The Rajasthan government suspended the internet connection for 24 hours and deployed additional force in the city to maintain law and order.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condoned the brutal killing and appealed to maintain calm and peace. He also appealed to people not to share the video of the murder of Kanhaiya Lal.