A day after controversial Hindu Samaj Party leader Kamlesh Tiwari was killed in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, the police have arrested five persons in connection with the case.
Two of them, identified as Bijnor residents Mohammed Mufti Naeem Kazmi and Imam Maulana Anwarul Haq, were booked on the murder charge on Friday after Tiwari's wife named them in her complaint to police here.
Tiwari's wife Kiran had alleged that both had announced a cash reward of Rs 1.5 crore on her husband's head in 2016.
Police had also detained two men from Uttar Pradesh named in the FIR who were later released.
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Those arrested include Maulana Mohsin Sheikh, Faizan and Khurshid Ahmed Pathan.
Police registered an FIR against three persons in connection with the killing of Kamlesh Tiwari (45), who was earlier associated with a faction of the Hindu Mahasabha.
Uttar Pradesh DGP, OP Singh, said prima facie, Kamlesh was murdered for his objectionable remark against Prophet Mohammad made in 2015.
Singh said that there is no terrorist organisation linked to the murder.
Late on Friday, a lesser-known outfit called the Al-Hind Brigade had claimed responsibility for the murder of Tiwari, though the authenticity of the claim could not be verified.
Tiwari was shot dead in Khurshid Bagh area after gunmen walked into his office on the pretext of handing him over a box of sweets.
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The assailants opened the box, took out the firearm and sprayed Tiwari with bullets and fled.
Tiwari, a former Hindu Mahasabha leader, had formed the Hindu Samaj Party in January 2017. Tiwari had earlier served as the president of the Hindu Mahasabha.
He had made highly controversial remarks involving Prophet Muhammad. He was arrested and the National Security Act (NSA) was slapped on him. Recently, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court revoked the NSA against him.
This is the fourth murder of a right-wing leader this month.
On October 8, BJP leader Chaudhary Yashpal Singh was gunned down in a similar manner in Deoband.
On October 10, a BJP leader Kabir Tiwari, also a former student leader, was shot dead in Basti which led to student groups going on a rampage and burning down government vehicles.
On October 13, BJP corporator Dhara Singh, 47, was gunned down by unidentified assailants in Deoband in Saharanpur on Saturday morning.
(With Agency Inputs)
