The brutal killing of Udaipur tailor, Kanhaiya Lal, in the broad daylight has shaken the nation after his murder video went viral. It has drawn ire from different political parties, and several leaders urged the State to accord the strictest possible punishment to the accused.
40-year-old Kanhaiya Lal was allegedly beheaded for supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma's remarks against Prophet Muhammad. Two men slit the throat of the tailor, Kanhaiya Lal, and posted a video on social media where they claimed that they are avenging an insult to Islam. This triggered communal tension in the Rajasthan city with a curfew being imposed.
In the video clip, one of the purported assailants declared that they had “beheaded” the man and then threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying their knife will get him as well.
All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday condemned the killing of a tailor in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district for allegedly insulting Islam.
Owaisi, who was addressing a gathering in Bhopal’s Ashoka Garden area as part of his party’s campaign for the Madhya Pradesh local body polls, also demanded the arrest of the suspended BJP spokesperson for her remarks against Prophet Mohammad.
“I condemn the (Udaipur) incident. Killing someone is not allowed in the law. Nobody can kill others. We will not take the law in our hands. This is a crime. But we demand that Nupur Sharma should also be arrested,” he said. Terming the tailor’s killing as gruesome, he said the government must take the strictest action, adding that the AIMIM’s consistent stand was to oppose such violence. During his speech, Owaisi also criticised Congress and BJP and accused them of hobnobbing with each other.
Prominent Muslim organisation Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind condemned the heinous killing of a tailor in Rajasthan’s Udaipur on Tuesday, saying such an act cannot be justified in any way and is against the religion of Islam.
In a statement, Maulana Hakeemuddin Qasmi, general secretary of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, condemned the “brutal killing in Udaipur apparently on the pretext of the insult to the Prophet” and called it against the law of land as well as “against the religion of Islam”.
“In our country, there is a system of law, no one has the right to take the law into his own hands,” Mr. Qasmi said.
The Indian American Muslim Council also condemned the murder along with prominent journalist Rana Ayyub.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to Twitter to assure that the accused persons would be "punished severely in court".
Attacking the Gehlot government, Union minister Anurag Thakur said, "The brutal and brutal murder of an innocent person in Udaipur is a big question mark on the legal system of the Gehlot government."
Condemning the act, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that he was "deeply shocked". "I am stunned by this heinous murder. Barbarism in the name of religion cannot be tolerated. Those who spread terror through this act of brutality should be severely punished immediately. We all have to defeat hate together. I appeal to all, please maintain peace and brotherhood," he wrote on Twitter.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the violent incident in Udaipur should be condemned. "The culprits should get the harshest punishment. Spreading hatred and violence in the name of religion is fatal for our country and society. We have to together strengthen the efforts for peace and non-violence," she said in a tweet in Hindi.
BSP chief Mayawati urged people to maintain peace and order.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "I unreservedly condemn the horrific beheading of shopkeeper KanhaiyaLal in Udaipur by two Muslim youth, who then posted a gruesome video of the murder on social media."
Condemning the murder, Kerala CM said, "Strongly condemn the barbaric murder in #Udaipur. Request the authorities to take stern action against those responsible. Such heinous acts would only serve to upset our harmonious living. Appeal to everyone to maintain peace and calm and let the law take its course."
Senior Supreme Court advocate Salman Khurshid, meanwhile, said that the "Udaipur killing is most heinous and regrettable irrespective of the provocation assumed. We cannot allow our nation to be torn apart in this inhuman manner. No religion approves of killing human beings. Let us reaffirm positivity of faith."
