‘Barbaric, un-Islamic': Jama Masjid’s Shahi Imam, Muslim organisations condemn Udaipur tailor’s murder

New Delhi: Several prominent Muslim organisations have condemned the heinous murder of a tailor in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, which led to increased tensions across the state. Calling the killing "un-Islamic", organisations such as All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind have denounced the murder of Kanhaiya Lal by two men who claimed they were avenging an insult to Islam. Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, Ahmed Bukhari, also issued a statement as well as released a video calling the brutal killing "not only an act of cowardice but an act against Islam." "Brutal murder in Udaipur has shaken humanity...It's not only an act of cowardice but also non-Islamic, illegal, and inhuman. On behalf of all Indian Muslims, I strongly condemn this..," ANI quoted the Shahi Imam as saying. 

In a statement, AIMPLB "strongly condemned" Kanhaiya Lal's murder and said such acts were against the principles of Islam, adding that no one should take law in their hands. "Insulting holy personalities of any religion is a serious crime. BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma made derogatory remarks about the holy Prophet of Islam, which is very sad for Muslims. The government not taking any action against Nupur Sharma is like rubbing salt on the wounds. But despite this, taking the law into one's own hands and killing a person by declaring him a criminal is a condemnable act," AIMPLB general secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani said in a statement. 

#WATCH | "Brutal murder in Udaipur has shaken humanity...It's not only an act of cowardice but also non-Islamic, illegal, and inhuman. On behalf of all Indian Muslims, I strongly condemn this..," says Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid on murder of #KanhaiyaLal pic.twitter.com/nYG71KswSR — ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2022

 Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind general secretary Maulana Hakeemuddin Qasmi said the "brutal killing in Udaipur apparently on the pretext of the insult to the Prophet" is against the law of land as well as "against the religion of Islam". "In our country, there is a system of law, no one has the right to take the law into his own hands," Qasmi said, as per PTI. 

While Jamaat-e-Islami Hind termed the Udaipur murder "barbaric, uncivilised" and said peace should be maintained. "We strongly condemn it. No citizen should take law in his own hands. Let the law prevail. The culprits should be dealt with according to the law of the land. In any case, peace should not be disturbed. Nobody should try to take the advantage of this ugly crime," it said.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday registered a case under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the Udaipur murder. 

Kanhaiya Lal's wife demanded capital punishment for those behind her husband's death. Two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, have been arrested for the Udaipur murder. Their video confessing the crime went viral on social media where Akhtari declared that they had beheaded the tailor. Further, he threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying their knife will get him as well. They also indirectly referred to Nupur Sharma, the now-suspended BJP leader whose objectionable remark on Prophet Mohammad stirred controversy on a global level. 

(With agency inputs)