Udaipur murder: Kanpur connection of accused exposed in Udaipur murder case, UP ATS will inquire

Rajasthan | Keeping in view the security, law & order and public safety, internet services will be temporarily suspended for the next 24 hours from 5.30pm on 1st July till 5.30 pm on 2nd July in Jaipur, Alwar & Dausa districts of Jaipur division: Jaipur Divisional Commissioner

The Dawat-e-Islami, one of Pakistan's largest Sunni-Barelvi Muslim organisations, which has been in the news after the brutal killing of a tailor in India, on Friday rejected links to "any acts of terrorism," saying it is purely an educational, missionary and charity institution which preaches peace. The organisation, with its headquarters in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi, has been under the spotlight after it emerged that one of the two men who carried out a deadly attack in Udaipur, Rajasthan, was inspired by the Dawat-e-Islami and had visited Karachi in 2014. Two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, allegedly hacked tailor Kanhaiya Lal to death with a cleaver at his shop in Udaipur on Tuesday and posted videos online saying they are avenging an insult to Islam.

Distancing the Dawat-e-Islami from the gruesome murder in Udaipur, Maulana Mahmood Qadri, a senior figure in the organisation's headquarters (Faizan-e-Madina) in Karachi's Gulshan-e-Iqbal area rejected his organisation's links to any act of terrorism. "Dawat-e-Islami has nothing to do with any act of terrorism. We are purely an educational, missionary and charity institution and globally preach peace in our lives," Mahmood told PTI in an interview. He said that thousands of students from all over the world visit the organisation's headquarters for Islamic studies that does not preach or promote extremism or radicalism.
"We are also apolitical," he said.

In a major reshuffle over the alleged negligence by police in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case , the Rajasthan government has removed the Superintendent of Police (SP) and Inspector General (IG) range of Udaipur.

Prafulla Kumar, who is heading the SIT set up to investigate the murder, has been made the new IG.

Expressing deep concern over the brutal Udaipur murder, All India Imam Organisation's (AIIO) Chief Imam, Dr Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi on Thursday appealed to the government for the trial of the evil-doers by a fast-track court for the maximum punishment.

"I also request all the half a million Imams in the country to condemn this heinous act in their respective mosques during the next Friday prayers," said the Muslim cleric in a video message from Canada, where he is on a visit.

Imam Ilyasi, who terms himself the religious and spiritual guide of over 210 million Indian Muslims, said he is deeply sad and disturbed by the incident and expressed his solidarity with the victim Kanhaiya Lal's family.

"I'm so sad and disturbed after hearing the news of the brutal murder of Kanhaiya Lal. This is the first time I'm hearing such an incident happened in India. The act of making video of murder seems like what we usually see in other countries. In this distressing time, I along with Indian Muslims are with the family of Kahaya Lal," he said in the message.

These kinds of terror acts shake the entire humanity and I, along with my organisation, condemn this evil and un-Islamic act, he added.

Two men were arrested here for conspiring the murder of a tailor in Udaipur and were produced in a local court on Friday. Tailor Kanhaiya Lal was killed on Tuesday by two cleaver-wielding men -- Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad -- who posted a grisly video of the crime online. Both the main accused were arrested in Rajsamand hours later. The court granted one-day transit remand of the duo -- Mohsin and Asif. They will now be produced in designated NIA court in Jaipur on Saturday by the ATS, an advocate appearing in the case said.

Additional Director General (SOG and ATS) Ashok Rathore said the two men were arrested on Thursday night for criminal conspiracy and conducing a recce of the tailor’s shop.

“The two are co-conspirators in the murder of Kanhaiya Lal and are being interrogated,” an official had said in the morning.

Rathore said the main accused have been shifted to high security prison in Ajmer after they were granted judicial custody by a court on Thursday.

The case is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) with support of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police.

"The two have connections with the Dawat-e-Islami group. It has also come to light that the two have connections with Delhi and Mumbai along with Kanpur. They had visited Kanpur before. During interrogations with SIT, it was revealed that the two travelled to Kanpur from Ajmer. It is yet to be found where did the two of them stay in Kanpur. Investigations are still going on.": Police 

The motorcycle used for escape by the killers of the Udaipur tailor had "2611" as its registration number, a possible reference to the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. Serial terror attacks in Mumbai took place on November 26 and are referred to as 26/11 in general.

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Social media platforms need to remove content which encourages, glorifies or justifies brutal murder in Udaipur, the ministry of electronics and IT said in a notice made public on Friday. Kanhaiya Lal, a resident of Udaipur in Rajasthan, was killed on Tuesday by two cleaver-wielding men, Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, who posted a grisly video of the crime online claiming responsibility for the "beheading".

"Through this notice, you are directed to forthwith ensure that as part of your obligation of due diligence, safety and trust, you proactively and immediately remove any and all content, either in the form of a text message, audio, video, photo or any other form, that seem to encourage/glorify/justify this murder and killing with a view to prevent any incitement and disruption of public order and to restore public peace and harmony," the notice dated June 29 said.

The video of the brutal murder was posted online and there have been several reported instances of social media handles and accounts glorifying and justifying the murder. 

The court sent two persons who were arrested from on Thursday night for conspiring the brutal beheading of a tailor to 14-day judicial custody.  The arrested accused were identified as Mohsin and Asif.

- Reports Manish Bhattacharya (India TV) 

Two persons were arrested from here on Thursday night for conspiring the brutal beheading of a tailor. The arrested accused were identified as Mohsin and Asif.

After the Udaipur incident, the police is on high alert in Uttar Pradesh. 159 companies of PAC have been deployed along with the district police in the entire state. Police have spoken to religious leaders and is keeping a close tab on social media.

NIA team has reached the Udaipur court. 

2 more accused were arrested late night. The name of the accused are Mohsin and Asif. Interrogation is going on with 3 other people. After receiving the interim report, the SIT also increased the sections. Arms Act was added in the case after the weapon was found. Section 120B was also added after the names of the conspirators came to the fore. Sections 307, 326 were also added to the FIR.

- Reports Manish Bhattacharya (India TV) 

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday visited the house of Kanhaiya Lal who was brutally killed by two men here. The chief minister spoke to the family members and relatives of Lal, and Home Minister Rajendra Yadav handed over a cheque of Rs 50 lakh to them.

BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari on Thursday demanded the resignation of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accusing him of failing to protect the people of the state, two days after a tailor was brutally murdered in Udaipur city.

In a major reshuffle in Rajasthan, 32 IPS officers including Inspector General (IG) and Superintendent of Police (SP) of Udaipur, where a tailor was brutally killed, have been transferred. SPs of 10 districts including Udaipur have been transferred in the list issued by the department late on Thursday night.