In a recent development, three people have been arrested and put behind the bars and two others have been detained for constantly interrogating in link up with the ongoing probe in the killing of Kamlesh Tiwari, a leader of Hindu Samaj Party.
Kamlesh Tiwari was shot dead at the Naka area of Lucknow by 2 unknown miscreants inside his home on Friday afternoon. Kamlesh Tiwari received several stab wounds on his body.
Mr Tiwari died while he was being rushed to a nearby hospital.
The three men in their early 20s who were arrested by the Gujarat Police from Surat are Maulana Sheikh Salim, Faizan, and Rashad Pathan. According to UP DGP OP Singh, these three people planned Kamlesh Tiwari’s murder.
UP Police have taken into custody two men- Mohammed Mufti Naeem Kazmi and Imam Maulana Anwarul Haq for the killing of Tiwari.
What happened in Kamlesh’s residence?
Two strangers, one of whom hid his face by wearing a saffron scarf, met with him on the pretext of giving Diwali sweets and, once inside his residence, allegedly slit his throat and shot him several times with a firearm before fleeing the spot.
Who is Kamlesh Tiwari and what was the intention behind his murder?
Kamlesh Tiwari was earlier associated with the controversial right-wing outfit Hindu Mahasabha and had also contested the 2012 assembly election from central Lucknow, but was defeated.
He had later founded the Hindu Samaj Party. In 2015, he allegedly made infamous remarks against the Prophet Muhammad, which stirred a massive controversy and protests. Kamlesh Tiwari was murdered for Prophet Muhammad remarks made in 2015, says UP DGP.
Digging a bit deep, Tiwari delivered a controversial speech which many Muslims called it was insulting Prophet Muhammad. In her complaint to the police, Tiwari’s wife Kiran mentioned that in 2016, the two clerics namely Mohammed Mufti Naeem Kazmi and Imam Maulana Anwarul Haq issued a reward for his head for his remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
Kamlesh Tiwari was replying to SP leader Azam Khan who called RSS members ‘homosexuals’.
He was arrested in link-up with the case and charged under the National Security Act (NSA), which the Allahabad High Court recently revoked.
“Prima facie it appears that the killing was linked to Tiwari’s remark on Prophet Muhammad in 2015, but nothing has been confirmed so far. The killers were probably radicalized after Tiwari made the controversial remark against Prophet,” UP Police DGP OP Singh said.
Who are the arrested men?
Maulana Sheikh Salim worked at a saree shop located in Surat while Faizan used to work at a shoe shop there and Rashid Ahmad worked as a tailor. Salim was the mastermind who instigated the others to commit the murder.
How were the accused arrested?
Faizan was spotted at the CCTV footage of a Surat sweet shop buying sweets. In fact, the same boxes were used by the 2 executioners to carry the murder weapons including a pistol and a knife.
“A sweet box recovered from crime spot was a vital clue in cracking the case,” the UP DGP said.
The UP Police ruled out the distinct possibility of any terror links to Tiwari’s murder. “We are working in collaboration with the Gujarat ATS and till now no link with any terrorist organization has been established. We will look into all the details and take action,” the UP top cop added.
‘Al-Hind Brigade’ on Saturday sent a WhatsApp message owning responsibility for Tiwari’s murder. “We at Al-Hind Brigade claim the responsibility for killing Kamlesh Tiwari, who tried to defame Islam and Muslims.
More to come,” the message which also had a photograph Tiwari, said, “Kamlesh Tiwari was a nuisance and whosoever points fingers towards Islam and Muslims, will meet the same end. Al-Hind Brigade takes responsibility. Get ready to see more. The war has begun.”