Udaipur murder: Dutch MP, who supported Nupur Sharma amid Hijab comment row, asks India to 'stop being tolerant to intolerant'

New Delhi: Geert Wilders, the Dutch MP who supported expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nupur Sharma for her remarks on Prophet Muhammad, on Tuesday (June 28, 2022) reacted to Udaipur murder and asked India to "stop being tolerant to intolerant". After two men with a cleaver killed tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur city's Dhan Mandi area and posted videos online that said they are avenging an insult to Islam, Wilders said that the Hindus should be safe in India as it is "their country" and "their homeland".

"Please India as a friend I tell you: stop being tolerant to the intolerant. Defend Hinduism against the extremists, terrorists and jihadists. Don’t appease Islam, for it will cost you dearly. Hindus deserve leaders that protect them for the full 100%," he tweeted.

Please India as a friend I tell you: stop being tolerant to the intolerant. Defend Hinduism against the extremists, terrorists and jihadists. Don’t appease Islam, for it will cost you dearly. Hindus deserve leaders that protect them for the full 100%!#HinduLivesMatters #India — Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) June 28, 2022

"Hindus should be safe in India. It is their country, their homeland, it’s theirs! India is no Islamic nation," Wilders, a far-right leader from The Netherlands, said.

Hindus should be safe in India.
It is their country, their homeland, it’s theirs!
India is no Islamic nation. #IsupportNupurSharma #India #HinduLivesMatters — Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) June 28, 2022

Udaipur beheading: Two men - Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad - arrested

Two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, have been arrested for murdering Kanhaiya Lal. The assailants reportedly entered Lal's shop in Dhan Mandi posing as customers. As the tailor took measurements, Akhtari attacked him with a cleaver, nearly severing his neck. The other man shot the brutal murder with his mobile phone.

The men fled from the scene and later uploaded this clip on social media.

In another video, the alleged assailant said they "beheaded" the tailor and threatened the prime minister for lighting "this fire".

Yet another provocative video was recorded on June 17, in which Akhtari said he will post it the day he carries out the murder. He also reportedly asked other members of the community to continue with similar attacks.

Police sources said Akhtari works at a local mosque and the other assailant runs a grocery shop.

Udaipur tailor murder: ASI suspended for negligence

An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Dhan Mandi police station in Udaipur has been suspended for negligence following the murder of a tailor there. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Hawa Singh Ghumaria said an FIR against Kanhaiya Lal was registered on June 11 for sharing a controversial post on social media and he was arrested.

On June 15, while he was on bail, he told police that he was receiving threat calls. The local SHO summoned him, the complainant and some people from both the communities to the police station and settled the matter, he said.

After the murder, ASI Bhanwar Lal posted at Dhan Mandi police station has been suspended for negligence at that time, Inspector General of Police, Udaipur, Hinglaj Dan said.

It is alleged that the ASI did not pay heed to the concern raised by Kanhaiya Lal regarding the threat calls that he was receiving, he said. The ADG said that those who had come to mediate are also being interrogated.

Nupur Sharma comment row: Curfew imposed in Udaipur, prohibitory orders across Rajasthan

Prohibitory orders banning people from assembling have been clamped across Rajasthan for a month and mobile internet services suspended for the next 24 hours. At 8 pm, curfew was declared till further orders in seven police station areas of Udaipur city. 

The Union Home Ministry dispatched a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Udaipur and Rajasthan Police also announced a special investigation team (SIT) soon after the arrest of the two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad.

In a video clip, Akhtari declared that they had "beheaded" the man and went on to threaten Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying their knife will get him as well. Indirectly, the assailants also referred to Nupur Sharma, the BJP spokeswoman who has been suspended from the party over remarks on Prophet Muhammad during a TV debate.

Udaipur news: Ashok Gehlot appeals for calm after Kanhaiya Lal's murder

After Kanhaiya Lal's murder, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot appealed for calm and asked people not to share the videos. "The guilty will not be spared. The entire police team is working on it with full alertness. I can imagine the anger which is there among people due to the murder. We are taking action accordingly," he told reporters in Jodhpur.

Gehlot said there is communal tension in the country and the prime minister should address the people. He said both Hindus and Muslims are worried.

"It is more impactful if the prime minister speaks. I believe that the prime minister should address the country on this occasion and should make an appeal that we will not tolerate violence at any cost. What is the problem in saying so?" he said.

उदयपुर में हुई घटना बहुत ही दुःखद है और उसकी जितनी निंदा की जाए उतनी कम है, बहुत चिंता वाली बात है कि इस प्रकार से मर्डर करना किसी का ये बहुत ही दुःखद भी है, शर्मनाक भी है। मैं समझता हूं कि माहौल ठीक करने की आवश्यकता भी है। पूरे देश के अंदर तनाव का माहौल बन गया है। pic.twitter.com/BOi3zfo1bF

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) June 28, 2022

(With agency inputs)