Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 17:00, 3 July 2022

Kanhaiya Lal Teli was a Hindu tailor who was murdered by two Muslim assailants on 28 June 2022 in Udaipur, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The assailants captured the attack on camera and circulated the video online.

Lal was killed for allegedly sharing a social media post in support of Indian politician and BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, whose comments led to the 2022 Muhammad remarks controversy. The assailants entered Lal's store posing as customers before killing him. Videos of the murder were posted on the internet, with two alleged assailants holding butcher knives and claiming responsibility for the murder, identifying themselves as Mohammed Riyaz Akhtar and Mohammed Ghous.

Local authorities announced a curfew and blocked internet access after videos of the attack went viral on social media, triggering mass outrage across India. The Indian government made attempts to stop the video of the brutal attack from circulating online.

Background

On June 11, Lal's neighbor Nazim had registered a case against him over a controversial social media post which led to Lal's arrest. Subsequently, Lal was released on bail. On June 15, Lal had filed a request for protection with the local police after receiving death threats. In his complaint at Dhan Mandi police station, Lal stated that he was receiving threats from Nazim and others. In his complaint against Nazim and five others, Lal alleged that the group had circulated his photo within their community on social media with a message that Lal should be killed if seen anywhere or if he opens his shop. The police said that they had mediated and resolved the matter between Nazim and Lal. Kanhaiya then gave a statement to police that he does not want any further action in the case. Lal said that the controversial post was shared inadvertently by his son while playing a game on his phone, and that Lal did not know how to operate a phone.

Murder

On June 28, two assailants entered Lal's tailor shop posing as customers. When Lal began taking the measurements for one of them, he was attacked with a cleaver at 2.45 p.m. The entire attack was caught on video by the assailants. While widely reported as a beheading, the assailants tried to behead Lal but failed according to the police. Lal's neck was slit but his head was not severed from his body.

A shop assistant of Lal also sustained severe head injuries trying to save him.

After subduing Lal, the two accused dragged him out of the shop and slit his throat. Other shopkeepers did not make attempts to rescue him. The assailants fled on foot and then drove away on a motorcycle.

According to police investigation, the duo planned to initially kill Lal at his home.

In what seems to be a second video (taken after the attack), they boasted about the murder and made threats against India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Aftermath

After the incident, the local markets in the area were shut down and the traders demanded arrest of the accused. Protests demanding immediate action were staged in various parts of India.

Local authorities of Udaipur imposed a 24-hour curfew and blocked internet access across the state of Rajasthan. The central government deployed the National Investigative Agency, India's primary counterterrorism unit, to investigate the incident. The police said that the perpetrators had attempted to behead Kanhaiya during the attack but had failed.

Perpetrators

The assailants were identified as Mohammad Riyaz Attari and Ghouse Mohammad.

The assailants were arrested by authorities in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan on June 28, reportedly while trying to flee.

On 1 July 2022, pictures of Mohammad Riyaz Attari emerged which showed him attending BJP events. In a 2020 post on facebook, Attari was described by a local Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader as a "dedicated worker of the BJP".

Investigations also revealed that Attari was riding a motorbike with a customized number plate carrying the number "2611", in reference to the 26/11 terrorist attacks.

Reactions

In response to the murder, nearly 7000 people took out silent protest march in the city of Udaipur.

United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric called for religious harmony and peace globally in response to Kanhaiya Lal's murder.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) condemned the murder stating, "taking law into your own hands is highly condemnable, regrettable and un-Islamic" and added, "Neither the law nor the Islamic Sharia allow it." Head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Maulana Mahmood Madani stated, "Udaipur incident is a disgrace to humanity; It is disgrace to humanity & an act of defaming Islam. No matter whosoever is a killer, no one has the authority to take the law and order into his own hands." Religious body Jamaat-e-Islami Hind called the incident "barbaric, Uncivilized and there is no room for Justification of violence in Islam. Peace should not be disturbed. Nobody should try to take advantage of this ugly crime".

Hindu organisations like Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal staged protests and demanded strict action against the culprits. Although Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is silent until now but Muslim Body linked to RSS demanded capital punishment.

Amnesty International condemned the incident and urged the Indian government to take action against killers.

See also

• Kamlesh Tiwari
• Internet censorship in India
• Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy

References

1. "Udaipur tailor murder | NIA registers UAPA case, says accused wanted to 'strike terror among masses'". The Hindu. PTI. 29 June 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
2. ^ Raj, Suhasini (29 June 2022). "Religious Unrest Spreads in India With Killing of Hindu Man". The New York Times.
3. ^ Gupta, Swati; Mogul, Rhea; Mitra, Esha; Stambaugh, Alex (29 June 2022). "Brutal killing caught on camera stokes India religious tensions". CNN.
4. "Udaipur: Rajasthan on edge after Prophet Muhammad row beheading". BBC News. 30 June 2022.
5. "Tailor murdered in Udaipur Rajasthan, accused confessed on social media". The Hindu. 28 June 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
6. PTI (28 June 2022). "Tailor murdered in Rajasthan's Udaipur, assailants film crime". millenniumpost.in. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
7. "Udaipur: Tailor beheaded on video over 'social media posts' supporting Nupur Sharma, both accused arrested". The Financial Express (India). 28 June 2022.
8. "Udaipur murder | Kanhaiya Lal had told cops some people were conducting recce of his shop". The Hindu. PTI. 29 June 2022.
9. "Udaipur Tailor's Killers Attacked At Court, How It Happened: 10 Latest Facts". NDTV. 2 July 2022.
10. Pandey, Devesh K. (29 June 2022). "Udaipur tailor murder | Initial probe finds Pakistan link". The Hindu.
11. "Udaipur tailor's murder: Duo planned to kill tailor at his home, couldn't locate address". The Times of India. TNN. 1 July 2022.
12. ^ Backhouse, Andrew (30 June 2022). "Tailor beheaded in India, protests erupt, internet cut off". news.com.au.
13. "Udaipur: Tailor murdered in his shop, assailants film crime". Business Today (India). PTI. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
14. "Udaipur killing: Protests held in different cities". The Indian Express. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
15. Zargar, Arshad R. (29 June 2022). "Curfew imposed as sectarian tension soars after a brutal murder in India". CBS News.
16. "Udaipur Tailor's Killers Attacked At Court, How It Happened: 10 Latest Facts". NDTV. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
17. ^ "As Photos Emerge of Udaipur Killer's Links to BJP Leaders, Party Moves to Damage Control Mode". The Wire (India). 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
18. Achom, Debanish, ed. (30 June 2022). "Watch: How Men In Video Of Udaipur Murder Were Caught". NDTV.
19. "Tailor's murder: Congress alleges one accused is a BJP member". The Telegraph (India). 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
20. Ojha, Arvind (1 July 2022). "Udaipur murder accused fled in bike with 2611 as number plate, say police". India Today.
21. "Udaipur horror accused paid extra money to get 26/11 Mumbai terror attack date as his motorbike number". The Tribune (Chandigarh). 1 July 2022.
22. "Thousands protest in India's Udaipur after Hindu tailor murdered". Aljazeera.com. 30 June 2022.
23. "Udaipur murder | 'We call for full respect of all religions, ensuring different communities can live in harmony, peace': U.N. spokesperson". The Hindu. PTI. 30 June 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 July 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
24. "'We call for full respect of all religions, ensuring different communities can live in harmony, peace': UN spokesperson on Udaipur killing". The Indian Express. PTI. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
25. "Guterres calls for respecting all religions in aftermath of Udaipur killing". Business Standard. IANS. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
26. ^ Sharma, Sunny (2 July 2022). "Tailor's gruesome murder sparks communal tension". Tehelka. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
27. "Udaipur tailor murder: RSS-linked Muslim body demands capital punishment". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
28. "India: Amnesty International condemns shocking murder of Kanhaiya Lal". Amnesty International. 29 June 2022.
29. "Govt must ensure no impunity for those responsible for hate crimes: Amnesty on tailor murder". The Telegraph (India). 29 June 2022.

• Stabbing attacks in 2022
• 2022 murders in India
• Indian murder victims
• June 2022 crimes in Asia
• June 2022 events in India
• Stabbing attacks in Asia
• Islamic terrorism in India
• History of Udaipur
• Islamism-related beheadings