Religious tensions have been present in the area since the murder of a Hindu man in Rajasthan, a state in northern India. On Tuesday, two Muslim males killed the victim, a tailor named Kanhaiya Lal, in the Udaipur area, and they recorded the crime and posted it online.
They asserted that the crime was committed in revenge for the victim, supporting a politician’s controversial comments about the Prophet Muhammad.
Internet access has been halted, and public gatherings have been outlawed. The two individuals, who were identifiable in the video, have been detained by police.
In a different video, they bragged about the murder and threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi with cleavers. The video of the murder was “too horrific to view,” according to a top Rajasthan police official, so media outlets were advised not to air it.
Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, has pleaded with people to be calm.
The federal government has tasked the premier counterterrorism agency in India, the National Investigative Agency, with looking into the occurrence.
The men broke into Kanhaiya Lal’s store pretending to be customers, and while he was taking their measurements, they attacked him.
The victim is accused of posting a social media message in favor of Nupur Sharma, a former BJP spokesperson who made contentious remarks against the Prophet Muhammad last month.
Her remarks created a diplomatic spat, with India receiving vehement criticism from several Islamic nations. Ms. Sharma was later expelled from the BJP.
Religious demonstrations in India were also sparked by the debate and turned violent after protesters flung rocks and damaged property.
The lakeside Indian city of Udaipur is shut down entirely. In addition to a strict curfew and a significant increase in police presence, mobile internet connections have been suspended.
Muslims and Hindus, who make up a minority but live and work side by side in the densely populated metropolis, are visibly at odds with one another. At the funeral of Kanhaiya Lal, which drew a large crowd, security was strictly enforced.
Even though the majority of respondents resisted speaking in front of the camera, the few who did reveal a pronounced religious split.
“This shouldn’t have happened because we are residing in a nation with a majority Hindu population. To ensure it does not occur again, I would want to request that Prime Minister Modi look into the situation “Jaipal Verma is a marketing executive.
Most people were unprepared for a curfew, and many already had difficulty obtaining even the most basic food.
Daily wagers are the most severely impacted, according to a local man named Mukesh Gaudiya. “A huge shock is all that’s happened.”
According to the Indian Express, Kanhaiya Lal had been detained by the police three weeks before his murder for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. After his release, he requested police protection due to threats on his life.
According to a police official who spoke to the newspaper, after the police called several Hindus and Muslims for a peace meeting, Kanhaiya Lal declared he didn’t “need any more action against anyone.”
Prominent Indian politicians from all parties have denounced the incident.
The board issued a statement stating that “nobody can be permitted to take the law into their hands” and that “declaring someone a criminal and then murdering them is a very condemnable conduct.”